Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-29

csAsr or sAss ca nEscAIoa's PzosEc-
orbit h such that the hne drawn tron
the sun 20 the planet viii sweep over
equal areas IN equal times"
prom now until September or octo-
Der thousands Of telescopes viii De lev
eied AZ the rudy planet In the en-
deavor 10 pierce the veil Of mystery
which hides from US the secrets of plan
etary existence. With the distance re-
duced TO IS, 000, 900 miles and with the
wonderful Lick telescope and the clear
California atmosphere. some marvellous
developments are looked for. Even
now Prof Holden has begun his series
OF photographs observations. and
these will continue until the planet be-
gins 70 appreciably increase It's distance
from us. At Milan some very impor-
t..nt observations will be made, and in
Washington also the astronomers OF
the Smithsonian institute promise
interesting developments. AT all the
large universities OF this country and
England the astronomers will devote
their time To Mars, and most interest
ing developments are looked for from
the Warner and the Washburn observa-
tories a, Rochester. y. u. and Madison,
Wis, respectively. In the past fifteen
years vast improvements have been
made in both astronomical instruments
and in the way of Photographic appli-
ances. and these, as exemplitied par
ticularly at the Lick observatory, will
bring the planet To within 1880 miles
of the earth, "a marvellous annihilator of
distance, and will further enable the
astronomers To take the completest
photographs vet had of Mars The
principal observations will, of course.
be taken about the pivotal date. August
8, when the planet rises about p. M,
and i. visible as an evening star. 1t will
be brightest on August 4, when he will
shine refulgent in the southern sky.
Henry NJ. PArkhurst Dcscants ON Discov-
cries Past and Yet to Come.
From the last of June until the mid
die of September, and especially in the
beginning Of August, the planet Mars
will be in a peculiarly favorable posi-
ton for observation, and probably
every large telescope in the world will
be directed upon il In the hope not only
of learning more about our sister plan
ct, but of obtaining new light upon our
own future history.
There seems to be sufficient evidence
that the giant planets. Jupiter and
Saturn. are yet in heated condition,
making life there impossible Our moon,
on the contrary. is u dead world; what
ever life that may have in some former
epoch existed upon it having long since
ended. Its seas aBe dried up, its atmos-
phere absorbed, and all the conditions
of life. animal or vegetable, wanting.
Our earth has passed through a stage in
which life was impossible, and may be
approaching a stage in which 1t will
again be impossible. The planet Mars
appears to be in such condition as the
earth may possess millions of years
hence. 1t has reached that condition
before US from its smaller size, becom-
ing more rapidly cooled of. The earth
was probably once covered with water.
At present two-thirds of its surface is
covered by its oceans But in the
planet Mars the drying-up process has
proceeded SO far that oceans have
dwindled to seas. and the land has be-
come continuous. Our continents are
islands; and we cannot visit our neigh
bors without crossing the sea-
In Mars, while there may be islands,
there il but one continent, for nearly
all the land upon the surface of the
planet is so connected that notwith-
standing the existence of extensive seas,
connecting with one another over a
large portion of the planet, nevertheless
the lands also are so connected that the
principal part of the planet could be
visited without crossing the water. In
Mars there is an atmosphere, shown
by the spectroscope to resemble our
own; there is water: there is land. visi-
BILE even in very small telescopes; there
are icecsps at the poles varying in size
with the season of their year, showing
conditions very similar To our own.
Clouds have been seen covering certain
continents and afterward disappearing.
All the indications point not only u
che possibility but 70 the probability of
the existence Of life there. There may
be not only vegetable life but animal
life.
Ia IL possible to communicate with
such beings7 The only means Of COM
munication yet known 10 science are
through the sense of sight. II there
are astronomers in Mars who have fore
seen cur close proximity during this
rear, they may have made preparations
for IL They might erect i'm some con-
spicuous place an equiiateral triangle.
which could not b. attributed 10
natural formation Or. as has been sug-
gested. they might give US q still more
completes proof By erecting a structure
corresponding in form tn the demon
stration in Euclid that the square of
the hypothenuse is equal TO the sums of
the squares of the sides Of right-an-
gled triangle. which would prove their
acquaintance with geometry But why
should they do this. when IL would be So
difficult for us IT, reply2
At the very time they are the most
easily seen by rs we are 40 nearly be
tween them and the sun as 10 be almost
IL not quite invisible ~ shem. IL we
knew that they possessed a telescope as
large as that at Mt Hamilton II would
~ exceedingly difficult for us 20 con
struct geometric diagram which they
could see at the distance the earth
would be when II had escaped the suns
rays They might well torego the at
tempt a. communicate with rs know
ing that added 90 the uncertainty 81 our
ever psrceiving il Is the almost positive
certainty u our heinz unahle - renir