The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-04
The Fiery Planet Nearer to the
Earth Than Since 1877.
is THE SPHERE INHABlTABLE?
Snowcaps, Canals. Lakes, Atmosphere
and Satellites Closely Observed.
Results Not Satisfactory Except at Lick
University, Whose Astronomer viii
Prepare . New Map-rhe Opposition
Of 1860 ~ Presago ~ War.

CHEHALIs. Aug. 3.-fspeeiaLI-The great tele-
scopes OF the world are now turned upon the
planet Mars. 1t makes its opposition with the
sun tonight, and IL is one OF those near opposi-
tions which come once In about fifteen or
seventeen years. On account OF its nearness to
the earth it shines with unusual brilliancy, be-
ing more than four times ~ bright as at ordi-
nary oppositions.
At this time the planet is about as far south
as the sun is December q. II will make its
greatest south declination August %. After
that time the planet will move north and will
be In the celestial equator toward the last of
December. II is now on the meridian about
midnight. Its meridian passage Will be earlier
each evening, and on the 9th of DeceE Der it
will pass the meridian about 6 o'clock in the
evening. Thus through the entire autumn and
winter Mars will be a conspicuous object of the
heavens, and being SO much nearer the earth
than usual it Will be watched with great inter-
est These near opposittons can occur only
when the planet is near its perihelion. Mars
makes It's nearest approach to the earth August
7and passes its periheiion September T. As is
well known. the last near opposition was in
1877, when the two satellites were discovered.
In 1850 another near opposition took place.
and the planet, fiery red. haf9a deep meaning
to the American people Itwts on the classic
Hudson that the warlike Mars was watched
with interest and anxiety by one OF Americas
ings, from the verandah OF the Dudley observa-
tory at Albany, n. Y, the astronomer gazed at
the flaming planet and often his mind wan
oered back fifteen years, when he looked at the
planet through the first great telescope ever
brought to the United States. By his own en-
ergy this telescope had been mounted in the
first large observatory erected within the bor-
ders OF his native land. Through a period OF
fifteen years he had instructed his countrymen
att ha nCa af hah hoa
tiful Ohio But now it was not the murmurs of
that majestic river that iuiled his evening
vlgils The charming Hudson now sang TO him,
as he surveyed the skies whence the god of war
looked down with wrathtul eye. soberly did
the astronomer watch the red planet, and anx-
iously did they both watch the mighty struggle
then waging in the field OF American politics.
Abraham Lincoln was elected president; but
the god OF war must be avenged for great wrongs
existing on American soil.
The astronomer no longer watched the fiery
planet as votary Of science. He, with his
countryman, had caught the spirit OF war, and
he marched to the battlefield in defense of the
Union. Let those who cherish the memory of
our country's defenders not forget the honor
able part borne in that terrible strife by the
learned astr onomer and Brave soldier, Ornlsby
Macknight Mitchell. Let us earnestly hope that
the red and radiant Mars may so impress ue
with sense OF duty that higher aud better
civilization shall grow out of the political strife
OF 1892. OaaIN E. HARMON
SAN Francisco, Aug. 3--professof Edward
Holden, in a lengthy csseAnu nicaton 90 the As.
aociated Press from LICK observatory gives an
account OF the work being done there during
the present opposition of Mars. He says there
seems to be general misapprehension AS to
the character of the work being done. Astron-
omcrs do not expect TO discover an unknown
continent, hut alter months of work expect to
u
just as surveyors III making new survey of the
state OF Arkansas, for instance, would do
Enough material has already been OBJ
tanned to considerably improve the existing
maps. He says:
In my opinion the time has not yet come to
even speculate on the probability of Mars being
inhabited, and ii is doubtful if the observations
yet made are Sufficient to enable us To pro-
nounce the planet mt To be inhabited. There is
we're little doubt that science will by and by be
able to interpret all or nearly all OF the pheno-
mena now seen, and to arrive at certainties.
Just now it must lie confessed that only a few
things are known OF our nearest planetary
neighbor. We have found great changes
i'll the details of the Martial surface W hile the
main outlines have remained much the same.
These changes have seemed to be great that
1t is often difficult to explain them by their
astral analogics. IL there are indeed inhabitants
in Mars, | think they might be surprised at
some of the conjectures which are current on
the earth regarding their surroundings. II the
snow and ice, 1t has been a hard winter for the
Martial Esquimaux. IL the red areas are land
and the dark ones water, there are now two
lakes where there was one III 1877 and none in
1879. We are speaking. it must be Iemem red
OF bodies of water some hundreds of square
miles in area. The facts of the observation are
correctly given, but the explanation is so dou bt-
full that prefer TO simply recite the facts and
reserve the theory. some time during the pres
ent autumn our observations will be finished
and maps completed and compared with past
IN a bIa hat hon
We can draw conclusions which arc certain and
throw new light on this very obscure problem
WASHINGTON CITY, Aug. 3-The moon light
was too strong tonight and the atmospheric
conditions unsatisfactory to scientists at the
naval observatory, consequently they couid not
see the opposition of Mars very we'll The
planet had the appearance OF a blazing ball of
fire on account OF disturbance In the atmos-
phere and no special phenomena Were therefore
observed.
ROCHESTER, N. Y, Aug. 3-Henry C. Main,
the well-known astronomer, who mas been max
ing close observation OF Mars, said tonight:
Mars presented no new features at midnight.
The marking was comparatively faint becau Sc
of the intense illumination OF the disk.
The snowcap is now small. The west
ern limb from the snoweap northward
seems to be more highly illuminated than the
eastern. The Light OF the western lirab appeared
10 be nearly white, but not so white as that re-
DecteQ by the snDEcap- III the southern nemis-
Ihere there Was quite distinct greenish-gray
streak about forty degrees from the pole
NEW HAVEN, Conn, Aug. 3.-Yale is not well
enough equipped in its astronomical depart
menI to DO very important work on Mars at its
present opposition. Its 8-inch Grubb eoua.
tarial simply permits the astronomers to OBJ
tain good general view OF the planetary de-
tai
HANOVER. y. H.. Aug. 3.-Professor c. A.
Young, OF Princeton college, and Professor Z.
B. Frost of Dartmouth, are closely watching
the planet Mars tonight from Darts
mouth observatory, but up TO q
late hour nothing worthy Of note had
been seen. Professor Young says that recently
with his large twenty -shree-ineh telescope at
Princeton he observed substantially the same
features as noted at Lick observatory, but was
unable to discern the canals of schiapareili the
Italian astronomer.
NokrHFIELD, Mimi. Aug. 3-Obseryatious
taken at the Loovilles Observatory have been ur,.
satisfactory, as Mars has not yer reached its
highes. altitude. One OF the moons has been
visible for thirty hours, but tae other eIuies
observation. No startling discoveries are ex.
pected, although the atmosphere is clearly yisi.