The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-05
KNOWLEDGE OF MARS
sCHIAPARELLI SAYS INFORMATION
is GROWING MORE DEFINITE.
Canals Are of Geographical Origin,
and Serve to Distribute Moisture
Throughout the Planet.
Philadelphia Times.

Astronomers are jumping just now upon
| Mr. Percival Lowell, of Boston, on account
| of his announcement respecting his recent
| observations Of Mars. These observations
| were conducted through powerful tele-
| scope at Flagstaff, A. T. Owing to the ex-
| traordinary clearness Of the atmosphere in
| that region he was able to see with dis
| tinctness the dark bands on the planet, be-
| lieved to be canals But Mr.. Lowell is in
clined to think that the bands may be
| strips of cultivated vegetation. The people
| of Mars presumably, are much bigger than
| the earth's inhabitants, and their standing
| crops may be gigantic. Nothing forbids the
| imag ginning of Marian constalks one hundred
| feet in height and beans and pease of cor
| responding size. Fields Of such Brobdignag-
| ian vegetables would assuredly be visible
| from our point of view, and their growing
| and the reaping of them would account
| for the way in which the bands referred
| to become more distinct and fade again pc
| riodically.
But cerain star-gazers are disposed to
| cast derision upon Mr.. Lowelrs theory.
| They used to sneeze at Schiaparelli but the
| discoveries of that eminent astronomer have
| been confirmed very fully of late by relia-
| bic observers in various parts of the world.
His belief that the So-calied canals are such
| in reality has gained many adherents. and.
| though the theory cannot be said to be
| proved, it is strongly backed by evidence.
| In truth, facts about this sister planet, its
| geography. its atmosphere and its climate.
| are beginning to be known with surprising
| defniteness. Thatrit Is capable Of support
| ing life is no longer doubted, and IN all
| probability plants and animas-very likely
| intelligent being like ourseives-exist upon
| it.
Two brilliant white spots of rounded form
| and variable size were noticed on Mars by
| nj % NJ tod
| that orb with the telescope. It was imag-
| ined that these were polar ice-caps, and
| yond doubt. They were immense masses
| of snow and ice, similar to those which
| to-day prevent navigators from reaching
| the poles of the earth.
| SUPPORT FOR THE THEORY.
| Schiaparelli says that there are other rea-
| sons for this belief apart from the appear
ance and situation of the white spots. 1t is
observed that the latter diminish in size
with the approach of summer and increase
| during the winter. In the second half of
the year 1892 the southern polar cap was in
full view from the earth; during that in
terval, and especially in the months of
July and August, its rapid diminution from
| week to week was very evident even to
| those observing with common telescopes
| The snow, which at the beginning formed
| cap 200 miles in diameter, progressively
| more of it remained than an area Of per-
| haps $50 miles in diameter, and still less
| was seen in the last days of 1892 In these
| months the southern hemisphere Of Mars
| had its summer.
Observations of the alternate increase and
| decrease of the polar SHOWS OF Mars are
| easily made even with telescopes of moder-
| ate power, but they become much more in
teresting and instructive when watched
through instruments of great size. With
| such powerful aid to vision one sees black
holes and huge assures In the midst Of the
| icy regions; immense isolated pieces many
miles in extent stand out from the prin-
| little later. In short, the same phenomena
| present themselves t. the view occur
| during the summer of the Arctic region on
| the earth. The southern snow of Mars,
however, has this popularity: It's center is
| not on the pole, but $50 miles distant from
the latter. 1t is probable that when the
| the south pole of Mars is uncovered. On
this account it may be imagined that ex-
| plorers on the Arean planet have already
| achieved the discoverylsof their south pole.
| The southern ice cap is In the midst of a
| huge dark spot, which, with its branches
| occupies nearly one-third of the whole sur
| face of Mars. This dark spot is supposed
| to be the principal ocean of the planet
| Here again is an Interesting likeness to con-
ditions on the earth. The northern snow
cap of Mars is centered almost exactly upon
| its pole. 1t is located in region of yellow
| color, which is believed to be the main
continental mass of the planet This cir
| binary phenomenon, which has no analogy
on the earth. When the SHOWS accumulated
during during the long winter begin to melt the
| fact, the inundation Is on gigantic scale.
converting thousands of square miles Of
,aan INTO temporary th sea- AS Will be ex
undation has an important influence upon
the affairs of the Marian sphere
me Arean year is nearly twice as long as
one of ours. says schiaparelli.. and. whereas
| the winter Of eleven months duration al
| lows time for great accumulation of snow,
months of summer that follow. If conditions
were the same as on the earth our northern
Ice cap would nearly or quite disappear.
| That Is what happens on Mars, where the
snow area is reduced so much as to present
only very small point to the view of the
| telescope. Other white spots that come and
go are frequently seen on various parts of
Mars. and it is supposed that they are tran
STORY snow falls. Occasionally they are OBJ
served in the torrid zone Of that planet,
and it Is suggested that these may be the
snow-covered tops of lofty mountains.
| MARS HAS ATMOSPHERIC
The polar SHOWS of Mars prove beyond
dispute that the planet, like the earth, is
surrounded by atmosphere capable of
transporting vapor from one place to an
other. These SHOWS are in fact precipita-
lions Of vapor condensed by the cold. The
existence Of an atmosphere charged with
vapor has been confirmed also by spectre
scopic observations, which show that this
atmosphere must be of a composition differ
ing little from our own, and carrying much
watery vapor. This is fact of the highest
Importance, because 1t fully indorses the
idea that the seas and SHOWS Of Mars are
Of water and no other substance. Another
interesting conclusion is that. the tempera-
ture of the planet, Notwithstanding its
greater distance from the sun, is about the
Same that of the earth. This is indi-
Gated by the observed phenomena Of melt
ing and freezing.
The extraordinary periodical inundation.
is spread out over a great distance by
these canals are the principal means, If
not the only one, by which water, and with
| it animal and vegetable life, are diffused
over the arid surface Of the planet. On
| Mars ii rains very rarely, and possibly 1t
does not rain at all. OF this fact there is
satisfactory proof Imagine yourself on the
earth. You will be disappointed If you ex-
pect to see continents and islands of the
world clearly defined upon the seas that
surround them, as on an artificial GLOBE
| Your view is interfered with by fields OF
| clouds which cover the greater part OF
| the terrestrial sphere The latter is always
| partly covered by veil of vapOr.
There is nothing of this sort on Mars. In
| every climate and under every zone its at
| mosphere is nearly always clear and suf-
| fcently transparent TO permit one to OBJ
| serve at any moment the contours of seas
| opd continents and even rninor configura-