The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-12-13
liars IN OPPOSITION.
THE RED-LfeHr PLANET ~ A
FAVORABLE PosITroN
DiMcultfes IN the Way of Learning
Much Aseut the Earth's Plane
fxry SefxhbSr Through the Teie-
seope-Tt VIII BE Nine Yesrs Be-
for Coed Observation.

Even the most casus. observer OF the
heavens can hardly have failed 10 notice,
during late months. a bright red star rs
ing n rhe east some time after sunset and
tat tie present rlEn@l coming into a pos
ton very nearly oyera sad by rni1nlEat. IL
: IS now situated almost exactly between the
fsTst magnitude Stars Capela and Be1ea-
g@use. they being each aSout twenty de-
grees 20 the north and south Of Il. respect
tvesy.
+ TIE central ospect IN This h-tnisnt trio
VII BE found 20 exhsbIt ere peculiarly.
+ waist the p1rplish-wh3te CApells ard the
somewhat rudy Betelgsuse twinkle per
ee7tioly, Il VIII he notie@d that the third
object. 20 which am drawing attention, -
shining with q steady reddish light, unaf-
tcctsd BY atmospheric treEnors. Wien
star map is consulted this object = not
I found between the other two: although 4
/ second magnitude star viii be seen Just
/ above the middle point. which another
| glance a. the sky .tself VII plainly exhibit,
| the nearest o. al 20 she stranger. In Sae,.
the mysterious oasject IS lot star az AK,
| but the planet Mars. TOW at his brightest
About once every two years the planet
Mars-our nelghbor planet, revolving IN an
| orbit Just outside that o. the esrth-comes
into Opposition" as g is called. AZ such
time the earth. sun and planet are al
most in the same straight line. with our
earth between the other Two. The planet
and sun are on opposite sides OF us. and
the dturnsi rotation Of the earth, which
brings the sun on the meridian az midday,
brings Mars. when n OPPOSITION. on the
meridian at midnight.
The orhstal motion Of our earth and her
neighsor planet might E-@ made the sub
feet OF honleiy Illustration suppose we
imagine two immense circus rings, one
within the other. with the rsngmastsr
standing In the common center. as the sun.
Il. a.
zling object Suppose the horse travelling
around the timer circle (the EARTH TO make
one complete revolution IN ssS DAYS, and
the outermost horse Ciars) 10 go around N
the same direction In 81 days. Then IL
they started together. by the time the IN
ner one had completed revolution the
outer one would be bat little more than
half way around its ring. ~ two COM
plete revolutions OF the inner one the outer
one would have completed its first trip and
be just one-sixteenth % a revolution in adj
vance. At the rate at which they are tray
. cling II will take the inner one fifty days
more than two complete revolutions 10
catch Up with the outer one again, as a
simple calculation wiz demonstrate.
Then II the earth and aYars were travel
ing ~ circular orbits thsy would De nearest
together once every 7So days. This g the
case 20 a certain extent. once every 10
days. or two years and che and two-thirds
months, Mars IS in opposition" and being
nearer to Us than al other times looks
much brighter IN the heavens and appears
larger and more distinct through the tele-
scope. The "oppoEitions' happen success
sively, 80 days apart. tust as II the orbits
were circular. bur there is a great varla-
ton IN the distance separating the planets
at different eppostons.
At the opposition Of 1877 September .
and fS92 august - the two planets were
very close. At these times they were sep
arated by only abo@t s. lsoeso miles. or
) one third of the earth's distance from the
sun. At che oppositions Of lSs4 and 1850 the
rGGdy planet was some eeooo,eoo miles dis
tant Generally stated. when an opposi-
ton happens in August or September. as in
1877 and 1899. the planet Is more than four
times brighter than when X occurs In Feb
ruary or March Oss4 and 1899.
This year the opposition OF Mars IS not
a particularly favorable opportunity for
studying its details, but better one VIII
not come until 1895. The close approach OF
1877 was marked BY Halls discovery with
the big Washington telescope OF two tiny
satellites. During the next favorable or
position in 1897 the planet was carefully
studied at all the great observatorles. Psr-
ticularly at Mount Hamilton and Nice. and
many interesting details -~ere observed on
its surface. Betwsen these NO dates Mars
received a particularly careful scrutiny
from the italian astronomer Schiaparelh.
who has practically m&8e the ruddy planet
his own. In the words Of Prof. Campbell.
OF Mount Hamilton: "He eSsGs4@taet S,-tr
knowledge 81 the planet enob'i 1l,sly in
nearly every lDe in reference tOsthe Tsoar
caps. the sO-caliea seas and continents.
but especially IN reference to the SOC ag5g5x
canals. their Appearance ard fsAsaglear-
ance fheir doubling. etc. er.hlf-
pareNfs remarkable observations 90 the
network OF straight caaass and S7sls s5joub-
ling was questioned Tor years btEtsa con-
firmatior they finally received az So aud
elsewhere largely rereasri ,6e denotf
An interesting controversY sisetwst3 |'rof.
Campbell. the lick astrCEomer, So: Per-
civai Lowell. who wrote book on Mars.
has been waged In ths pages n Science"
but cannot be more than referred 20 IN this
column Mr. Lowell Is an enthusiast on
the subject OF our nsighbor planet. ana
founded the lowell observatory az Flag
stan Ariz to study Mars n that remark
abe climate through fine eighteen-inch
glass HIS observations we're Interesting
and doubtless trustworthy. but unfortu-
nately Mr. lowell seems inclined TO pre-
suppose The existence 81 human beings Up-
on the surface OF Mars. and therefore sees
A. evsrv observed detsfl confirmation Of
ms theory strong "a holy writ Prof
CarYlrsly@ll "a also close student % the
plaret and has The USE % finer telescope.
But re cannot see all that - claimed by
the Arizona institution and IS more con-
ssrvative in his views.
Many no,nts VIII probably SIN remain
unsettled when this opposition ~ con-
cluSed. in which case we must walt st
feast ten years before ths mysteries OF
Marian detail the canals. seas. mount
ans az shown BY faint streaks and light
ard dark spots. are all made clear 70 our
~+zscn Bat as the finest telescopes os
modern times under ere most favorahls
4 conditions cannot show the planet Mars
-~ore distinctly Than 70 could hre seen by
IRE una1d@& eye e. q distance OF some
Or roo miles 7 am unwilling 20 prophecy
that we shall syer know much About the
inhabitants OF that widely discussed
planet
Ta~ sac % re opposition - Mars th's
year IS December 10 Ss0os The perlasiia
81 the planet a-f the earth DO not coincide.
So- ere ming. ard their orhsts % not Ia
exactly IN tne same p.lsne far another. the
dafs O. opposition IS not that q nearest
arps~oarh On December 4 we sAa1 ~
some Sc GO 90 ~ mites distant from tha
Sfz~ffau~. and that - TIE closest we shau
BE- % thern during tbs opposition. or, in
sees Fer many years - ccrne-
A. shis sfrma me supsrent 0Isc ~ Mar =
onfv efEhtse- seconds % arc n diameter.
That rasRns that YoEsr % over 80 diam
s+er= must - applied on 1he telescope %
rrsk4 fne p1a-et erwsear IS large - tas
r.r=s-s Is "a tha nake5 eye With rover
~ $50 which - TIE highest % BE a1yan-
ssvAarssgg employed upon any out very
sarra te7 e~~ope~ Mas wtlI stsn 10 over
~ =. rites distant from our vision. u 50