The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-08-11
Fiery Mars in Review.

Lick Observatory has replied to many
inquiries received during the present
opposition of Mars by telegraph and by
letter. said Prof. Holden the other day
These inquiries in jicatc widespread in
tercst, but in very many cases, at least,
they appear to be based on misappre-
hension of the kind of work which is
now being done on the planet here and
elsewhere. The case is not as if as
tronomers were pushing out on an I'M
known ocean expecting 10 find an I'M
known continent. In such a case the
mere announcement of discovery would
be all that vas needed and expected.
The actual circumstances a. Q very diff
ferent. 1t is as if some one had UNI
dertaken to make new survey of
the State of .sr ansas. For exam
pie, he would begin hy measuring
the tase lines and by setting stakes
ana by observing angles AMI
distances. At the end of weeks and
months he would have his note books
filed with figures. and after n long sea-
son of calculation he would be able to
issue new and ac urate map of the
region. more accurate, that is. than any
preceding one. This is precisely the
Immediate object of the observations
of Mars which are now being made.
The circumstances are very favorable
in that the planet is unusually near to
us. They are rather unfavorable in
that the planet j. very far south and
therefore low down In the sky and sub
jcct TO atmosph rc disturbances. Fu-
ture oppositions, in which the planet
will be seen at greater altitude, will be
more favorable, even if the planet be
then considerably more distant.
| The Immediate ob..ect of our work is
to make the map in question. ard we
already have enough material to be sure
that we can considerably improve exist
| ing maps, although some Of them are
very fine, especially that made by Prof.
/ Schiaparelli. for example. OF course,
/ tn. ultimate object of all observations
is to determine every possible physical
popularity of the object to be investi-
gated. If it is planet, we wish to
know how nearly it resembles the earth
and whether it is fit to lie inhabited by
beings like ourselves.
With respect to Mars it has been pro-
posed by certain very enthusiastic as
tronOmers to determine the question.
Is the planet actually inhabited, and
| this is a more difficult as we'll as i'm
portant question than the mere inquiry
as to whe her it is fit TO be SO inhabited.
In my opinion the time has not yet
come to even speculate on the larger
question, and my reason for saying this
Is that | think il very doubtful if all OBJ
servations yet made, numerous as they
are, are ut all sufficient to enable us to
pronounce even the lesser inquiry.
There is very little doubt that 10y and
by science will he able to interpret all
or nearly all OF the phenomena now
seen and to arrive at certanties. Just
now it must be confessed that only a
few things are certainly known with re-
spect t" our nearest planetary neigh
bors. / may say that / observed the
planet at the opposition of 1875 and at
every opposition since that time, and
that my colleagues at Mount Hamilton
and myself have faithfully followed the
planet at the ofpositions o. 1883, 1880,
and 1892. In fact, we are now giving
nearly all the time of the great tcle-
scoi to this work
| The Lick telescope has magnifyins
power of 400, which would bring Mars
and its moons within an apparent dis
lance of Il 500 miles from the earth al
the time of the nearest approach. But
Mars hangs at dc 'lination of % de-
grees, and the greatest magnifying pow
or that can be brought to bear upon him
will not be over 700, 1t is thought. That
means that Mars can be brought ap'
parently within $4,000 miles IF ths
earth. and will appear through The
telescope as if II were an object 80, 0ht
miles away viewed by the naked eye.