Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-05-07
LIKE THE NORTH POLE.
Discoveries OFT tho Planet of Mars
show 1t.

Discoveries or tho Planet OF Mars
show II.
Although no human being has ever
laid eyes on the North Pole, and
never may do SO, in spite OF the efforts
being made to discover" that point,
we are now for the first time enabled
to know with more or less positiveness
exactly what the North Pole looks like.
The planet Mars, which closely re-
sembles the Earth, not only in size
and seasons, but in the high degree of
civilization which its inhabitants are
supposed to have reached, has North
Pole.
The North Pole of Mars has now
for the first time been seen and OBJ
served, says the New York Journal. 1t
has been closely scrutinized by a
powerful telescope by an astronomer
who has given years to the observation
of Mars and who waited anxiously un-
til the planet, in the slow revolution
of its changes, turned its North Pole
to the earth.
This observer was Prof. Leo Brenner
who has published a technical des-
cription of his work in the last num-
ber OF the A stronomischen Nachrichten.
In this article he tells, in the queer
language which astronomers use, how
he watched the South polar cap of
Mars, observing it grow toward the
equator when autumn set in upon
that planet, then seeing it recede when
spring began on Mars and the snow
melted, giving water to the numerous
canals, along the sides of which vege-
tation (known by its bright green
color) was seen to spring up.
During all that time Mars was
slowly getting into a position which
brought its North polar cap more and
more into view. AS this North polar
cap, which had been turned away
from the earth, came within the field
of Professor Brenner's telescope, the
South Pole cap reeeded.
Finally the North Pole itself rose
above the horizon. Many people
have an idea that there is hole or a
mountain or some other natural
phenomenon at the North Pole of the
earth.
There was, however, no such pecul-
iarity to be observed about the North
Pole of the planet Mars. The fact
that it was the North Pole was only
to be determined by the exact science
Of the astronomer.
Professor Brenner knew precisely
what spot in the great, white fields of
snow and ice Gaping the planet was
its North Pole, and he marked it out
with a pencil point upon the map be-
side him as he looked. A photograph
taken Of the North Pole of Mars
showed that it was precisely the same
as the adjacent territory for thousands
OF miles, consisting of immense fields
of hillocky ice.
There was no open polar sea such
as many explorers have believed to
exist about the North Pole of this
earth. Mars, in the years that have
passed since the science of astronomy
was begun, has frequently turned its
North Pole toward the earth. But be-
cause of the smallness and weakness
of our telescopes, we have been un-
able hitherto to closely serutinize that
point.
During the past twenty-five years
the great Lick telescope has been
built, and large American-made tele-
scopes have been set up in Europe. 1t
was through one of these great mag
nifying instruments that Professor
Brenner made his observations, which
would not have been possible a quarter
of century ago.
He is the first man who has ever
carefully observed the North Pole OF
the planet Mars. These observations
would not carry so much weight il
they had been of Venus, Saturn, OF
any other planet.
But Mars so closely resembles the
earth that it is believed the condi.
tions prevailing on the North Pole oi
one prevails likewise on the North
Pole of the other. The seasons and
the seas and continents of Mars re.
semble those of the earth.
Moreover, its inhabitants are be.
lieved to be far more advanced than
ourselves, as is shown by their elabor.
ate system of artificial canals, built on
a gigantic scale, and first observed by
the astronomer Schiaparelli. The
flashlights they have been making are
olso believed to be attempts to sigma
to the people of the earth, but oul
poor achievements in science are SC
meager that we are at the present
time unable to flash a signal back, oul
most up-to-date system of illumina
ton being altogether inadequate fol
the task.
VIENNA University has accepted the