The morning news., 1894-10-21
MARS PAYING Us A VISIT.
The Fiery Little World Closer to the
Earth Than in Many Years.

OInEE MsGI4u6L o4 An6 1OAaL system
Astronomers Training Tn cir Tele-
scopes and Straining Their Eyes to
Penetrate the Secrets Of The Curious
Planet-It Is Probably Inhabited, but
by What Kind of PeopleP - 1t Has
Mountains, Rains and snow-Its Soil
May Be ochre Oolored and Its Vegeta-
tation Red - It's Animals Are Mon
sters.
If the reader will turn his eyes toward
the eastern quarter Of the heavens to-
night soon after dark be will see, if the
skies be clear. a large red star about
which there is centqyed just now the
greatest interest in the astronomical
world. Not that this is a new star, burst
ing suddenly upon the dome OF night and
soon 70 pass away, for indeed it is one of
the oldest and most familiar of all the
heavenly bodies, but this special interest
is due to the fact that this particular
planet--for it is the planet Mars-is just
now nearer to the earth than it has been
for seventeen years, and nearer than it
will be again for seventeen years to come.
When it is considered that this planet
Isl more like our own earth than any of
the others in the solar system, and that
since it's last favorable opposition seven
teen years ago vast improvements have
been made in our large telescopes and in
astronomical photography, it is easy to
understand why astronomers are anxious
10 train their new telescopes and cameras
upon this curious world, many of those
secrets seem to lie just beyond the limit
of visibility.
Reckoning from the sun in the order
Of their distances, Mars is the fourth
planet in our system, and it revolves
around the sun in 687 days at a mean dis
tance of 14l ,00G, 900 miles. Its orbit, how
ever, is the most eccentric of all the plan
cts except Mercury, its distance from the
sun varying as much as 13000,000 miles,
while the earth varies only 3,000,0 900 miles.
llNow, it so happens that the earths $
aphelon, or that point in it's orbit far
thest from the sun, and Mars perihelion,
or that point in its orbit nearest the sun,
lie on the same side of the sun,
and when these two bodies reach
these two respective points at or
part Of their orbits.
Although the earth overtakes and
passes Mars every $50 days, it is only
every fifteen or seventeen years that the
meeting point is in this favorable posi-
ton OF Its orbit Two years ago these
two bodies were quite close together, but
at that time rendered the observation un-
satisfactory. Fortunately this year the
planet is high up in the heavens above
the atmospheric disturbances near the
horizon, and the great telescopes of the
world will have a good shot at the god
Of war as he swings past US at this oppo-
sition.
Mars is not a very large planet. being
only 4.200 miles in diameter, while Jupiter
is more than 1900 times as large as the
earth.
But the physical conditions of Mars are
OF special interest to us since they are
more ike those Of the earth than any
heavenly body known to US. This planet
rotates on its axis once every twenty-four
hours and 81 minutes, giving II a day and
night almost the same length as our own.
tThe inclination of its axis to its orbit is
nearly the same as that of the EARTH thus
producing four seasons almost Identical
with ours except that they are nearly
twice as long. 1t has two minute moons.
Phobos and Deimos, discovered in 1877.
probably not more than five or ten miles
in diameter
Phobos is distant from the planets cen
ter only $500 miles and revolves around il
IN hours and 80 minutes, a period shorter
than that Of the planets rotation on its
axis. this produces the strange effect of
TINS uny moons rising in the west and set
tlng in the east, while it's companion rises
IN the east and sets in the west This is
one OF the strangest and most unac-
countable phenomenon in Astronomical
science, and one which still sorely puzzles
astronomers TO explain in accordance with
the received opinions concerning the cos.
mleal history Of the solar system.
But 1t is when large telescope is turned
upon Mars that its most interesting fea.
lures are revealed. Extensive seas inter
penetrated by long continental land areas
are plainly seen. Cloud masses float over
the planets surface obscuring at times
lhe permanent land markings beneath
Ihe speetroscope shows Enthusiastically tn,
presence or water in its atmosphere anC
many othef reasons lead us to think tha'
there are upon this interesting world al
the familiar forms of water precinitatior
.such as rain dew, snow, etc, that exis
upon the earth. Indeed, the first and mos
prominent markings seen upon Mars ar,
Two extensive snoW-caps upon its polar re
Sfons extending several hundred mile
toward the planets equator. These SNOW,
caps increase and diminish in size alter
nately with the changes in the seasons
melting away during the summer and ac
.cumulating in the winter, and behaving I,
every respect like the snow-caps aroun,
the poles of the earth
The color OF the planet to tbe naltad a,,
is red, but the telescope reveals aIs
patches Of dark green mingled with IN
predominant red. IL is difficult to accoun
for this ruddy color, and various tbeorie
nave been advanced to explain il. 1t /
generally thought to be due to the ochr
unge OF the soil, or possibly to the re
color OF its vegetation for who shall sa
mat It's vegetation may not be red instea
OF green. The wisest philosopher canno
ten why blade of grass is green or a ros
RED. 1t Is quite possible that its atmos
phere Possesses the peculiar property q
absorbing the blue rays Of the sun and rf
nectlng TO us greater proportion Of tn
req but there are scientific difficulties /
the way OF accepting this theory.
since all the physical conditions Of Mar
are SO similar TO those Of the earth n,
question OF its habitablity at once be
comes a most interesting one. While
cannot be shown positively that il is In
habited, we know that the conditions ar
present for the existence Of some foyr
OF animal life, and every considerable
OF analogy scientific reason and divin
purpose render the probabilities yer
strong in favor Of the affirmative.
Just what form Of animal life NAV exi,
there, Of course, II is impossible for us I
now know and probably We never sba
know, but there As nothing fpcorstst1r