The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-06-17
a Congress OF Star Gazers,

An event will occur on the 18th Of
June that has long been looked forward
to with the deepest interest by the as
Economical world, that is, the planet
Mas will then be in perihelion, or its
nearest to the sun, and at the same
time it will not be more than $780,
900 miles from the earth. To the IN
learned that may seem a considerable
distance, but astronomers are 80 ac-
customed to counting distances by the
millions Of miles that they look upon
this as a very sociable and friendly
advance upon the part of our neigh
boring planet, and they are preparing
to take every advantage of the oppor-
| tunity to learn what they can about it.
| AS this is an event that occurs once
in seventy-nine years only it is easy
to imagine with what anxiety it has
been awaited, both on account of the
wonderful Improvement in telescopes
since the year 1917 and because Of the
special attention Mars has attracted
within the past ten years.
The authorities of Harvard Univer-
sity have just expended $50, 900 in the
construction of a new tense for the
use of the observatory upon this occa-
sion, and in addition to this they have
expended $40, 900 on the most delicate
and perfect photographing parapher-
malta, that is to be worked on the
principle of the kaleidoscope, and that
will register ninety chaDgesin a minute
and thus furnish astronomers with a
perfect picture of the appearance Of
the planet when at the nearest point
to. the earth, and when illuminated
with many times stronger sunlight
than it has ordinarily. After all these
costly preparations their hopes might
easily be disappointed by cloudy
weather, and the precious opportunity
be lost for other three-quarters of a
century, bu5 all this has been foreseen,
and after consultation with the most
noted meteorological authorities it has
been decided that Oaxaca, in Mexico,
| offers the most favorable conditions
for the study of the heavens without
the fear of intervening clouds. A
temporary observatory has therefore
been erected at that place, and thither
the new telescope and all the accom-
%panying Photographic arrangements
will be transported by special cars and
under the supervision Of the Harvard
Astronomers in time to have everything
prepared by next Friday.
WITH commendable courtesy the
faculty of Harvard have invited as
tronomers from all the other great
o%bservatories to join them ir this ex-
petition into Mexico, so as to partici.
pate in the pleasure they are likely to
have in viewing the heavens under
such very favorable conditions and to
share with them the honors Of what
ever discoveries may be made. This
invitation has been accepted by mem,
bers of the universities of Oxford,
Cambridge, Trinity and Barcelona,
and astronomers from the Greenwich,
Lick, Turin and other observatories,
so there will be quite a notable
convention Of scientists at Oaxaca
when the appointed day arrives. Mo-
is it to be supposed that all the interest
of the occasion will be confined to that
point, since doubtless every observa'
tory in the world will be on the alert
to profit by the occasion, onlyit is moi
to be expected that in many countries
the atmospheric conditions will be sc
good as, in Mexico, the Land of the
Sun and not Of clouds.
A great part of the interest taken
in the planet Mars of late years has
been called forth by the discoveries
made of its wonderful system Of canals,
a system SO Enthusiastically mechanical,
as to point very conclusively o'the
belief that they are the work of human
beings. The topography of Mars il
now as we'll known to astronomers as
is that of the earth; and every canal,
body of water or land on the planet
has received its name. They tell vi
all about the seasons there, the fall Of
snow, the prevailing state of the at
mosphere, the coming and going Of the
seasons, the length of the days, and in
short everything that relates to the
globe itself but, so far, no n has
ventured to do more than hint at the
nature of it's inhabitants, or to posi-
lively assert that it is inhabited al
all.
On this present expedition into
Mexico, therefore, very little attention
will be devoted to those things that
have already been demonstrated beyond
question, further than to simply re.
affirm them, while the closest attention
will be given to everything that can in
any way confirm the supposition o.
Mars being inhabited, and it is hoped
that under a light five times stronger
than has shone upon it for seventy
nine years some evidence will be dis
covered to verify that belief, or else
to contradict it with certainty. 1t is
not to be supposed that the Harvard
professors who have organized this
expedition, and who spent nearly hall
a million of dollars in carrying it out
have been proclaiming to the world al
they hope to accomplish by it in be-
half of science; since to fall below
their expectations thus announced
would subject them to ridicule, but
the very fact that they have beer
willing to go to so great an expense,
and to take so much trouble in the
matter, is sufficient evidence of how
much they expect to accomplish. And
every intelligent person who is inter
ested in such subjects will look for
ward with curiosity to their report Of
the discoveries made at Oaxaca or
June IL.
In this connection may be mentioned
the recently published accounts Of the
new photographs taken at the Paris
Observatory of the surface Of the moon,
The difficulty of the undertaking may
be appreciated from the fact that only
six perfect pictures have been secured
from the almost ceaseless efforts Of
the last two years, but these six are
of such superior accuracy as to fully
repay the gentlemen engaged in the
work for the great vigilance necessary
to secure hem. In them the surface
of our satellite is brought out with
extraordinary c%learness, and appears
.,;t WOULD IN tho noked eva ar the