The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-11-10
NEWS FROM MARS
Astronomers Latest Ideas About the
Interesting Planet

The planet Mars, which has attracted
SO much attention during the last few
years, popular as we'll as scientific, is
the subject of a lucid article in the cur
rent number of the Edinburgh Review.
The interest felt in it of late-as. for in
stance, in August, 1892, and in October,
1S94-was due to the fact that on both
those occasions it was exceptionally
near to our own planet, and that these
opportunities generally occur only at
fairly long intervals. On August 4, in
the former year, Mars stood right oppo-
site to the sun. and at the comparative
ly moderate distance-that Is for celes-
tial bodies-of 35,000000 miles; but its
position in the sky was not very favor
able to observers in northern ATTITUDES,
for it's altitude above the horizon in
London was only 16 degrees On Octo-
Der 20, 1894, Mars was 100000 miles
further from the earth, but its place in
the sky was Is degrees higher than on
the former occasion, which almost COM
pensated for the increased distance.
One result of the curiosity thus awak-
ened in the constitution of that planet
has been the publication of three sepa-
rate books, one written by Prof. Schia-
parell, another by M. Flammarion, and
a third by Mr.. Lowell, who has an OBJ
servatory at Flagstaff, Ariz OF these
books, the Edinburgh Reviewer gives
q critical summary. Marian physiog-
raphy presents several problems, but
the most interesting is this: Is Mars
habitable, and, if so, is it inhabited? or
the three authors, Prof. Schiaparelli is
the most cautious. He confines himself
to stating facts which seem well estab
lshed by observation, and drawing in
ferences from them. Thus he does not
assert the existence of living creatures
to be impossible. M. Flammarion goes
further-the seeming Availability of
Mars produces in him a strong convic-
ton that it is tenanted by thinking be-
ings. Mr.. Lowell stoutly argues on
the same side The possibility of the
existence of living creatures on that
planet. of course, depends upon the phys
ical condition of its surface and atmos-
phere. The evidence for their existence
can only be obtained by detecting them
or indications of what may be reason
ably presumed to be their work. The
size of the planet is about one eighth
that of the earth. Its disk is notified in
a rather singular way by extensive
areas peculiar in form and different in
tone, one group being a dusky color,
while the other is bright
Besides this, there are snowcaps on the
polar eXtremities, which increase or d.
minish according to the season, and have
been known to disappear; while the
presence of ice-clad mountains in those
regions can also be detected. There is an
atmosphere, though its pressure and
density must be far less than that of our
planet. Marian air is commonly esti-
mated to be only one-seventh of the
density of terrestrial air. The barometer
at sea level there would stand at about
the same elevation as it would do in
balloon as high again from the earin
as the summit of Mount Everest. But
attenuated as this atmosphere must be,
it evidently possesses one remarkable
property. Mars is about half as far away
again from the sun as is our own planet
so that its thermal income" is less than
half that of the earth. Yet it's climate
evidently is of a perfectly mild type.
THE polar SHOWS melt rapidly and al
most completely" nearer to the equa-
tor frigid conditions are, if not wholly
absent, extremely rare; "blizzards are
unknown, and no cyclones carry devas-
tation at express speed across land and
sea-" Therefore, it's atmosphere must
have constituent, in addition to water
vapor which is even more powerful
than the latter as "a trap to catch a suti-
beam" But the arguments in favor Of
a Marian population rest mainly upon
a discovery made in 1877.
In that year Schiaperelli observed, for
the first time, the singular markings IN
the disk of the planet which he has called
canals. They appear to be traced in ac-
cordance with definite laws, for they
follow great circles of the sphere, or the
shortest distance from point to point
But they fiuctuate considerably in as
pect. They blacken and widen; they
become dim and narrow; they sonnet times
for few days or even hours are changed
into two uniform and parallel lines. But
besides this, there is an associated sys-
tenn Of dark circular or oval spots. These
are supposed to be lakes. At any rate,
the whole system of dark marks on
Mars. seas. canals, lakes, is so obviously
one that they must receive common
explanation. Mr.. Lowell draws from
these his chief argument in favor Of
Mars being inhabited. He believes that
the planet mainly depends for its water
supply on the melting of the polar
SHOWS. and that we see a great system