The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-08-04


years ago. whom Mars last approached
the earth as it is doing now, that the
Washington observatory acquired q
worldwide reputation blythe discovery
that the planet was attended by two
satellites. This announcement as
founded the astronomical world and
upset lot OF its pet theories. Up to
that timo all the textbooks on astron-
omy gave 1t as a dictum that "Mars
has no moons" aud there was popu-
lar poem which told about the SNOWY
poles Of moonlcss Mara" The red
planet had, however, closely approached
the earth as 1t is now doing, and Mt:
mospheric conditions were peculiarly
favorable to observation. Moreover,
some big new telescopes have been
made since Mars last approached the
earth. One OF these was, tho Washing
ton instrument, with an aperture Of
twenty-six inches.
Il was upon August II, 1877, that
Prof. Hall at the Washington obscrva-
tory turned the great telescope upon
the planet and observed for tho first
time one little satellite attending 1t.
-Four nights afterwards he discovered
another. One Of these moons is about
eight miles in diameter and tho other
but twenty. They revolye at a distance
from the main planet of about 1000 and
1900 miles respectively.
The Importance OF this event may be
realized when it is stated that as re-
suit Prof. Hall received the gold medal
awarded to the greatest astronomical
discovery of the century. The Wash
ington telescope, moreover, acquired a
reputation as an instrument OF the first
rank,
The finding OF these two. moons Of
Mars was made possible by the me-
chanical improvements which had been
made in the intervening years since
Mars had SO closely approached the
earth. These improvements had rem
dered the making Of 26-inch lens pos
sible, with the necessary machinery to
hold and moyeit When the glass was
finished it excited worldwide discus
sion and was supposed to mark the ut
most limit which the telescope-maker
could attain. Since that time, how
ever, the Lick telescope had been
made with a glass nearly one-third as
large again. The object lens of the
Lick is 80 inches in diameter, by far
the largest glass of the kind ever made,
and has magnifying power much
greater than that Of tho Washington
instrument.
at the same time that Professor Hall
was discovering the two little moons
which swing around the planet Mars
schlaparelli, in Europe, was observing
and mapping its surface. When his
observations had been completed the
result which he announced was even
more sensational than that OF Professor
Hall. Schlaparelli confidently an
nounced that there were people living
upon Mars who had attained high de-
gree OF civilization. He had not, he adj
mitted, seen any Of these people through
his telescope, but he had seen net.
work of artificial canals. There was no
doubt, he said, that these canals had
been built in order to facilitate commu-
nication with various parts Of the planet,
He also pointed out that Mars had an
atmosphere something like that OF the
earth and that its surface was similarly
diversified and apparently fitted for the
support Of animal life.
Mars, it will be remembered, has a
warm, rich color, which distinguishes it
from all the other planets in tho heav-
ems and through the glass it has none
OF the cold and dead aspecto of the moon,
where human life would seem to BIO at
tended with many vicissitudes. Schla.
parelli's theory found wide acceptance
among astronomers when it was found
that Il was based upon indisputable
facts. Other scientific men took it up
with enthusiasm. Camille Flammarion
not only accepted it as a fact that poo
pie were living upon Mars in a high
state OF culture, but assorted that they
were yainly trying to signal the inhabi-
tants OF the earth. The alleged canals,
he thought, were parts Of gigantic
semaphore or signal farm, signs which
the Marsians were hanging out for poo
Pile on the Garth to see and answer. He
dwelt upon the significance OF tho at
mospherc Of Mars, a thing known for
years TO tho astronomical world, and
said it was impossible that tho planet
could be uninhabited. On the contrary,
said he, the people who undoubtedly
lived there were much further advanced
in tho sciences than those on the earth.
Their atmosphere, however, was much
denser than that Of the earth. There
foro, he said, il a Marsian wcro to be
transported to tho earth "hc would be
a...,al,aA kVR btu N,taffthk Ola
be arrived upon its surface"
The hopes OF astronomers arc now
raised to a high pitch rs to what this
week will bring forth. In all parts. OF
the world telescopes big and little will
be pointed heavonward evory night US
tho planet approaches nearer and
nearer to the earth. 1t will reach its
nearest point at 1:25 on the morning oil
August 4, and will then again begin to
recede. Many Of the big telescopes
which will be used in making the OBJ
seryations have been made during the
intervening fifteen years aud have all
the new and improved machinery. Tho
biggest Of all is the Lick telescope, in
California. It will DO the first real
chance the Lick has had to show what
Il can do. Some scientific mon say that
the Lick telescope is too big. This Curl
Gus fact was stated yesterday by an as
tronomer to a reporter.
'sThe trouble with tho lick telc.
scope" said the informant, "is that Il
exceeds the size which is compatible
with perfect, all-round work. II they
look at Mars whom the planet Is at OF
near tho horizon the lick telescope
will magnify perfectly. That is because
the instrument will be horizontal and
tho immense object glass will DO yerti-
cal, resting on its edge. Throw 1t up,
I,..,n,,or ~ nv an0la of a. doUFona oF