The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-28
ALL EYES NOW ON MARS.
The Ruddy Planet Which Some As
tronomers Believe Has Human
Inhabitants.
VIII DO Nearest the Earth at
Seven O'Clock Next Wednes-
day Morning.
Great Things Expected nj the Famous
Lick Telescope In California When
Mara Approaches.

Lick Telescope In California When
Mars Approaches.
Any one in Helena who has a telescope
may witness some very interesting thing
in 4 few days. From now until Septembe
or October thousands OF telescopes will b
leyeled at the ruddy planet Mars in the en-
deavor to pierce the veil Of mystery which
hides from a. the secret OF planetary exist
ence. With the distance reduced to 35,0OO,
goo miles and with the wonderful Lick tel
escopo and the clear California atmosphere
sofns marvellous Developments are iookee
for. Even now Professor Golden has be
gun his series of Photographic observations
and these will continue until the planet be-
gins to appreciably increase its distance
from nj.
n At Milan some very important observa-
tions will be made. and in Washington also
the astronomers of the Smithsonian insti-
trve promise interesting developments, AT
all tho large universities of this county and
England the astronomers will devote their
time to Mars, IL most interesting develop-
nasnts are looked for from the Warner ane
the Washbnrh ohservatories at Rochester.
N. Y, and Msdisol. Wis, respectively. In
tile past fifteen years vast improvements
have bear made in both Astronomical in :
strumeats and in She way of photographic
appliances and these, as e~xemnllied par
tioularly at the Lick observatory. will bring
the planet to withil 1850 miles of the
earth, "A II arvelous annihilation OF distance.
and vii. further enable the astronomers to
take the COM p!etsst photographs yet had
OF Mars. Iha principa! observations will.
q coursa us taken about the pivotal date,
Aug. J, when the planet rises about seven
p. M. and is visible "a An evening star. 1t
vii! be brightest on Aug. 4. when 1t Will
shine retul2ent in the southern sky.
In Mars shere is an atmosphere, shown
by the spectroscope to resemble our own;
there is water; there is land, visible even in
very small te]lescopes, there are ice cars at
the poles varying in size with the season of
their year. showing conditions very similar
10 our own. Clouds have been seen cover
ing certain continents and afterward dis
appearing. ALL the indications point not
IN " to the possibility but to the prohabll-
tity of the existence Of life there. There
may be not only vegetable life, but animal
life. And as it is in an advanced stage OF
development, it seems not unlikely that
there may be human beings there; BY
which Henry M. Parkhurst means animals
possessing the power of reason.
Ia it nosslble to communicate with such
beings? The only means of communities
ticn yet known to science are through the
sense of sight. If there are astronomers in
Mars who have foreseen our close proximity
ing this year, they may have made prep
arations for it. They might erect in some
conspicuous place an equilatsral triangle.
which could not be attributed to natural
Or, as has been suggested,
thsy might give Us a still more complete
proof by erecting u structure corresponding
in form to the demonstration in Euclid,
that the square OF the hypothenuse is equal
40 the sums of the squares of the sides of a
r~.eht-angled triangle, which would prove
their acquaintance with geometry. But
why should they do this, when it would be
so difficult for us to reply?
At the very time they are the most easily |
sAen by us We are 80 nearly between them
and the sun as to be almost, if not quite,
Invisible to them. If we knew that they
possessed a Telescope as large as that at
Mount Hamilton. it would be exceedingly
difficult for MS to construct a geometrio dia-
gram which they could see at the distance
the earth would hs when it had escaped the
SUMS rays. They might we'll forego the at
tempt to com municate with us, knowing
aaat, added to the uncertainty of our ever !
perceiving it, is the almost positive GER
sanity of our being unable to reply to it.
The first observations of Sohiaparelli,
which have attracted so much attention,
were made ten years ago with a TELESCOPES
OF only eight inches aperture, and have
ceen partially confirmed by other observ-
crs during subsequent oppositions and
With much larger apertures. The 60 called
'eauals'' had long been known to exist, al
Tough the term bad been only used for
convenience. since We have no means of
knowing that they contain water. Ihe Pc
ouliarity noticed by Schiaparsl!i. Perolin
and other observers, is that lines parallel
to the canals are seen IN many case. form
lag what is called the duplication of tho
canals.
The Importance of his discovery con-
sists in the fact that these duplicating lines
are not permanent, but are subject to
changes apparently corresponding in the
seasons of the year in Mars. the lines max
ing their appearance soon after the spring
opens, lasting during the summer and dis
appearing npon the approach of winter.
observations of our own moon show great
changes at different times, owing to the
angle with which the SUMS RAYS strike the
mountains and valleys; and it is not impos- |
sl5le that the observed changes in Mars
arise from some similar cause.
The presum ptlons, however, are in favor
OF the theory that it is the growth of vege-
tation which causes the lines to appear, and
the falling OF the leaves which causes them
&C disappear. 1t is iii order to determine
by an accumulation of facts whether this il
the trua theory, and whether We have this
visible evidence of the existance of yeqeta-
bic life upon our neiRhboring planet, that
every large telescope all over the world will
probably be directed to the planet Mas
during the coming week. to confirm and
add to the revelations alreadv made.
Small telescopes will show the oceans and
tie continents u! Mars much better than at
ordinary times; bnt any telescope, III a
favorable location, with an aperture of
eight inches or more, may aid in giving us
testimony upon this point of vital interest.
lille much dependA uton the telescope,
much also depends uucu the observer, and
upon The attention of the observer being
directed 10 tAe point to be examined. il
nHnR!ly reqalros Il very much smaller aper-
tuEo to See au object once discovered than
WAS required IT, make the original d,scov-
cry, AMI still moredepends upon the near
ness of the planet.
1t the advantage of a telescope we're in
proportion to its aperture. .wenty-sipht
inches aperture now would he equivalent
70 tnlrty-sIx inches aperture two years AGO.
But owing to the Increased thickness of
glass to be traversed and other causes. attn
smaller apertures, such aB that at Washing
ton Or at Princeton, can now show mara
than could be seen in the Lick tslesoone
when Prof. Holden declared that he had
had such views of Mars "as no other a.
tronomer ever before had And vet the
Lick observers will retain their pre-emin-
ence. While from others we NAV expect
.ag,r, = -.- --s =. = ~ 49,