The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1897-07-17
THE NORTH POLE.
It's Appearance Judged by That
of Mars.
An Able Astronomers Observation of
the North Polar Cap of the Plant
shows What Ours May
Look Like.

Although no human being. has ever
laid eyes on the north pole, and never
NAV do so, in spite of the efforts be-
ing 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 resem- |
bles the earth, not only in size and sea-
sons, but in the high degree of civiliza-
ton which its inhabitants are sup
posed to have reached, has north pole
This north pole of Mars has now for
the first time been seen and observed.
1t has been closely scrutinized in
powerful telescope by an astronomer
who has given years to the observa-
ton of Mars and who waited anXiously
until the planet, in the slow revolu-
ton of its changes, turned its north
pole to the earth
This observer was Prof. Leo Bremen,
who has published technical descrip-
ton of his work in the last number
of the Astronomischen 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 the 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 vegetation (known
by its bright green COLOR was seen to
spring up.
During all this 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
has been turned away from the earth,
came within the field of Prof. Bren-
ner's telescope, the south pole cap re-
ceded
Finally the north pole itself rose
above the horizon. Many people have
an idea that there is hole or a noun
tain or some other natural phenom-
enon 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 de-
termined by the exact science of the
astronomer.
Prof. Bremen knew precisely what
spot in the great, white field of snow
and ice Gaping the planet was its north
pole, and he marked it out with pen
Gil point upon the map beside him as he
looked A photograph taken of the
north pole of Mars showed that it was
precisely the same as the adjacent ter
ritory for thousands of miles, consist
ing 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 be
gun, has frequently turned its north
pole toward the earth. But because
of the smallness and weakness of oul
telescopes, we have been unable hither
to to closely scrutinize that point.
During the last 25 years the grea-
Lick telescope has been built, and large
American-made telescopes have beer
set up in Europe. It was through ont
of these great magnifying instrument
that Prof. Bremen made his obser
vations. which would not have beer
possible a quarter of a century ago.
ne Is tuc nISb uidu VIII ldS eve
carefully observed the north pole o
the planet Mars. These observation
would not carry so much weight
they had been of Venus, Saturn or an
other planet.
But Mars so closely resembles tn
earth that it is believed the condition
prevailing on the north pole of on
prevail likewise on the north pole O
the other. The seasons and the sea
and continents of Mars resemble thos
of the earth.
Moreover, it's inhabitants are believe
to be far more advanced than ourselves
as is shown by their elaborate systeI
of artificial canals, built on a giganti
scale, and first observed by the astroI
omer Schiaparelli. The flashlights the
have been making are also believed
be attempts to signal to the people {
the earth, but our poor achievement
in science are so meager that we al
at the present time unable to flash
signal back, our most up-to-date sy
tenn of illumination being altogether il
adequate for the task.-N. Y. Journal.