Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-09-02
MARS.
THE PLANET WHICH CLOSELY
RESEMBLES THE EARTH.
It's Snow-Covered Poles and Evi-
dences Of Volcanic Energy
sea and Land Surfaces
- Its Ruddy Hue.
MARS.

L W mer, mas an artlcle on he
Planet Mars" in Frank Les
lies Weekly, from which we quote as
followss
After all, our greatest inte rest in Mars
is owing to the fact that it is so closely
resembles our own earth. Indeed, as
Flammarion quantity expresses it in his
book on the "Marvels of the Heavens, "
the world of Mars resembles the earth so
much that if we happened one day to be
travelling there and lost our way it would
be almost impossible to recognize which
of the two were our planet. Without
the moon, which would charitably re-
move our uncertainty, we would run a
great risk OF arriving among the inhabi-
tants of Mars, expecting to descend into
Europe or some other terrestrial quarter.
The planet Mars in our telescopes pre-
sents the same aspect as the earth must
do TO the inhabitants OF Venus; cir
cular disk rather fattened, turning on
itself in about twenty-four hours, fur
rowed from time TO time by feeting
clouds. diversified here and there with
dark and light plains; revolving OBJ
liouely on an axis, enveloped with an
atmosphere. It has snow-covered poles,
resembling our Arctic regions, partly
melting in the spring OF each hemisphere,
and again forming in the autumn, accord
ing to careful observations made by Sir
William Herschel. Yet this is, after all,
but a suppositlon, for what reason have
we for inferring that the two bright
spots are formed in reality of ice and
snow, or that the same elements with
which we are familiar exist out yonder
in space2 We have unmistakable evil
dence OF volcanic energy on this planet,
from the fact that lands aud seas exist,
for a continent implies the operation OF
volcanian forces. Mountain ranges also
exist of considerable elevation, which
can be inferred from the outlines Of the
seas and lands. The land and sea sur
faces on Mars are nearly equal in extent,
and the seas are very singularly shaped,
running into long inlets and straits,
having a bottle-shaped appearance.
The seas are of a grcenish-
blue tinge, resembling our own
oceans in their general tint. These iulets
and bottle shaped seas break up the
land surfaces in such way that one
could travel hy sea between all parts OF
Mas; and then again, those who OBJ
iected to sea travelling might readily
avoid it, being enabled to communicate
with all parts OF the planet by travelling
across the continents, with the excep-
tion of one or two extensive islands.
Even these, being only separated from
the mainland by narrow seas, could be
easily reached By the erection Of
bridges. The Marian engineers would
find this an easy task, owing to the small
force Of gravity on the surface OF Mars.
A mass weighing a pound on our earth
would weigh but six aud a quarter
ounces on Mars. Then again, the soil
weighs less, mass for mass, than that of
our earth. So that between the greater
strength of the Martian beings Qf such
exist and the lightness of the material
used in constructing canals aud bridges,
we might reasonably conclude that all
engineering operations on Mars would
be much easier than our earth.
But in one respect Mars differs essen
tally from our earth, and that is in the
ruddy hue Of its surface. Fammarion
supposes that as from distance our
earth must appear tinted with green, on
account of the color of atmosphere,
waters and vegetation; so, he infers,
must the ruddy hue Of Mars be owing to
the soil, atmosphere and vegetation Of
that planet being shaded with red. A
certain support is given to the idea by
the circumstance that the degree OF rud-
diness is variable, and is somewhat
greater during the Martian summer than
in spring and autumn. In this sense we
may say OF the summer of Mars, with the
poet Wendell Holmes:
"Thc SHOWS that glitterel on the disk OF
Mors
Heyo melted, and the planets fiery orb
Rolls in the crimson summer of its year"
Sdu w hSSOuhhSA AOA
otherwise than BY supposing that the
Marian forests glow with fiery foliage
during the summer days. We can see,
as the summer proceeds, the white mists
which had hidden the planets seas and
lands breaking up, and the features of
the surface being gradually revealed with
moro aud more distinctness. Il Is to the
disappearance Of these mists and clouds,
not to tho rcd foliage Of the Martian
trees, that the change in the planets
color must most probably be referred.
We can not tell what the nature OF the
sell Of Mars may be, but Its generally
ruddy tiDgc, so well marked-though
tho telescope shows an almost equal
amount Of the surface to the greenish in
hue, tho rod, however, preventing
gives to the planet, as seen by the un-
aided eye, its obvious red color-show-
ing that it resembles the red sandstone