Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-12-25
Washingtou Standard
NEW FROM MARS.
AstronO Latest Ideas Absut the
Interesting Planet.


80 much attention during the last lew
years. popular a. Will l. scientific, l.
the subject Ui Il lucid article in the
current number Of thu Edinburgh
Review The interest frlt in Il al late
lis, inr instance, in August, 1892
and in October. IA9i-was due t" the
fact that on both these occasions il
was exceptionally near to our own
planet and that these opportunities
generally occur only at fairly long
intervals, SAYS the London STANDARD.
On August in the former year, Mars
stood right opposite the sun, and at
the comparatively moderate distance
that is for celestial hOdics-of 81,
100000 miles; but its position in the
sky WAS not very favorable to observers
in northern latituteS for It's altitutc
above the horizon in London was only
10 degrees. On October 20, 1894, Mars
was 100000 miles further from the
earth but its place in the sky was ll5
degrees higher than on the former oc-
casion, which almost compensated for
the increased distance.
One result of the curiosity thus awak-
ened in the constitution of that planet
has been the publication of three
separate books, one written by Professor
Schiaparelli, another by NJ. Flam-
marion and Il third by Mr.. Lowell, who
has an observatory ut Flagstaff, Ariz.
OF these books the Edinburgh Review
gives y critical summary. Marian
photography presents several problems
but the most interesting Is this: Is
Mars labitable, and, if so, is is in
habited? Of the three authors Pro-
lessor Schiaparelli is the most cautious.
He confines himself to stating facts
which seem we'll established by OBJ
servation, and drawing differences from
them. Thus he does not assert the
existence of living creatures to be i'm
possible. M. Flammarion goes further
the seeming habitability of Mars
produced in him a strong conviction
that it is tenanted by thinking beings.
Mr.. Lowell stoutly argues on the same
side. The possibility of the existence
of living creatures on that planet, of
course, depends upon the physical con-
ditions of its surface and atmosphere.
The evidence for their existence can
only be obtained directly from them or
indications of what may be reasonably
presumed to be their work. The size
of the planet is about one-eighth that
of the earth. Its disk is mottled in a
rather singular way by extensive areas,
peculiar in form and different in tone,
one group being dusky color while
the other is bright.
Besides this there are snow caps on
the polar extremities which increase
or diminish according to the season
and have been known to disappear
while the presence ofice.clad mountains
in this region 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 estimated 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 earth as the summit of Mount
Everest. But, attenuated as the atmos-
phere must be it evidently possesses one
remarkable property. Mars is about
half as far again away from the sun as
is our own planet so that its " thermal
income" is less than half that of the
earth. Yet its climate, evidently, is of
a perfectly mild type. "The polar
SHOWS melt rapidly and most COM
pletely;" nearer to the equator frigid
conditions are, if not wholly absent,
extremely rare; "blizzards are I'M
known and no cyclones carry devasta-
ton at express speed across land and
sea-" Therefore, its atmosphere must
have q constituent in addition to
watery vapor which is even more
powerful than the latter as a " trap to
catch sunbeam" But the arguments
in favor Of Marian population rest
mainly upon discovery made in
1877.
In that year Schiaparelli observed
for the first time the singular mark
ings on the disk of the planet which
he has called canals. They appear to
be traced in accordance with definite
Jaws, for they follow great circles of
the sphere, or the SHORTEST distance
from point to point. But they fuctu-
ate considerably in aspect. They
blacken and widen, they become dim
and narrow; they sometimes for few
days or even hours are changed into
two uniform and parallel lines. But
besides this there is an associated
system of dark circles or oval spots.
These are supposed to be lakes. At
any rate, the whole system of dark
marks on Mars, seas, canals and lakes is
SO obviously one that they must
receive common explanation. Mr..
Lowell draws from these his chief
argument in favor Of Mars being in
habited. He believes that the planet
mainly depends for its water supply
on the melting of the polar SHOWS and
that We see great system of water
storoOo op1 ;rr;Oot;op Dat Coh;o