The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-05-09
THE PLANET MERCURY.
Speculation ms to the Remarkable
Lines on Its Face.

Since the recent discoveries as to the
/ topography of Mercury this elusive planet
has not been In such favorable position
i for observation as II occupied last month.
AT dusk IL was seen as a star of the first
MAGNITUDE near the Pleiades in the north
western sky. and when at greatest r.
elongation. twenty degrees f3 minutes
from the sun on April q. II was about a
degree south Of the group In horizontal
line. 1t sparkles with rather yeliowish
iuster IN contrast 10 the white light Of
Vents. which is considerably larger. and
was only half It's distance when recently
Z so conspicuous in the western heavens,
but Mercury shares general interest at
present on account of the discovery at the
Lowell observatory OF strange markings
! on the. surfaces of both bodies.
Though nearer TO the sun than any
known planet. Mercury is not a good re-
Hector of the profuse effulgence IL re-
ceives. and some of its tracts seem TO be
particularly dim. more so even than the
dark lunar plains. To Mr.. Lowell and his
24-iHch lens, says the San Francisco Call.
the scientific world Is indebted for a
knowledge Of the true form OF these dark
tinted areas. and no doubt. too. for the
discovery OF many of them.
These strange lines that streak the disk
in various directions had long given i'm
pressions to telescope observers that
there were markings some distance from
the brighter limb Of the planet. but the
Intervening spaces were fndistingushabie.
A rotation period Of about "a hours had
been inferred, though never fully accept
ed In 1883 Schiaparelii announced that the
rotation period coFresponded with the time
OF revolution around the sun. or very
nearly SO. and this important discovery
was soor confirmed by others. and again
recently by the distinct and accurate
views obtained at the Lowell observatory.
A similar correspondence between the
axial and orbitai motions of Venus was
also announced and fully confirmed after
ward. and more recently by Mr.. Lowell
and his STAFF.
As the same sides of these planets are
thus always presented to the sun. their
evening phases present the same sections
OF surface 10 our view. with only such
variations as come from increase and IL
bration.
The oval aspect fs an allowable distor-
ton by which Is included the extent OF
surface seen by the iibratIon. which. on
account of its very eccentric orbit, Is
about five-eighths OF the whole. The an
GUAR outlines are so unlike the lunar
tracts. the belts OF Jupiter. or the con-
ttrsnts and canals OF Mars. that there Is
much yaglie conjecture as to the real ma
tare OF the little planets topography.
Analogy suggests rivers and mountains.
but the vastness Of the scale annuls all
resemblance 10 such terrestrial features.
Neither the Amazon nor the Andes could
be possibly discerned on the earth's sur
face az distance Of from 1ege go 10 100.
loo miles
Even IN some OF the older maps Il IS
easily seen that IL formed a vague bat
real basis for the unreal tracts from
which false rotation periods were derived
That the axis Of rotation lis perpendicular
to The plane Of revolution a. announced