Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-08-23
THEPLANET OF ROMANCE
MARS, ITS SUPPOSED INHABITANTS
ITS MOONS AND CANALS,

and Disasters-Its Annual 1niindmtions.
Mars may we'll be termed the planet
of romance, says Miss Mary Proctor
in st. Nicholas, since more romances
have been told cohcerhing 1t than
about any other planet in the solar
system. In ancient times it was
selected as the planet of war on ac-
count of its ruddy light, its symbol
being the spear and shield of the old
Assyrian warriors. But the evil quali-
ties attributed to the ruddy hues of
Mars by people believing it planetary
influences have long ago been con-
signed to the realms of romance, and
Mars is no longer held accountable
for the wars and disasters that take
place on planet Earth.
Seen through fue telescope, Mars
presents the appearance of miniature
earth floating overhead, the ruddy
markings indicating land, the green
ISL markings outlining seas and water
courses, while white caps adorn the
regions corresponding to the polar re-
gions on earth. The astronomer, in
the quiet and ease of his observatory,
can make n study of these regions,
which may not as yet have ever been
seen by the Inhabitants of Mars be-
cause of the dangers which prevent
access to them. We may we'll doubt
whether the bravest Marian ever sue
ceeded in reaching either pole OF the
planet. Yet our eyes have rested on
those polar regions, even on the very
poles themselves: In tue same way
an observer on Mars might direct a
telescope toward those arctic regions
of our earth which the most daring of
our explorers have in vain attempted
to reach.
Mars turns round on !ts axis just
as the earth does, except that the day
lasts lo1ger than the day on earth,
With the telescope it is possible to
follow the hourly changes that take
place on Mars from sunrise to sun
set. We can see the mists of morn
ing gradually clearing away, and the
gathering clouds toward evening,
probably to pass from the skies at
night, leaving the sthrs to Bhine with
a greater splendor through a rarer at
mosphere. Perhaps one or both of
the little moons of Mars (for it has
two, named Deimos and Phobosl,
may be shining in the sky. Deimos
rises in the east like other stars, but
the inner moon, Phobos, hurries
around Mars three times day. For
this reason it rises in the west
every night and sets in tire east after
about five and a-half hours. Neither
of the moons gives much light, since
Phobos supplies only one-si2tieth of
the amount given by our moon, while
Diemos gives only one twelve hun
dredth. But the smallness of the
Martian moons must be taken into
consideration, since Phobos is only
seven miles in diameter and Deimos
five or six.
Continuing our observation Of the
planet Mars during its daytime we seq
in Imagination the white-shore line
along which the murmuring waves
ripple, or dash in breakers against
rock and promontory. Clouds form
and rain falls on the surface
OF Mars, though not on such
an extensive scale as here. New
ertheless, during the latter half
of October, 1894, an area much larger
than Europe remained dense OBJ
scurcd. On another occasion Sir
Norman Lockyer noticed great mass
of clouds spreading over o sea many
thousand square miles In extent. AS
the hours passed away the clouds
slowly dispersed, either melting on
account of the suns heat or dissolv
ing in rain. When Lockyer ceased
observing for the evening : Mt
half-past la large portion of the
sen, which had been concealed, gradn-
ally came into view. On this same
night Mr.. William Rutter Dawes,
known as ''the eagle-eyed astron-
omer," was also studying the planet
of war, keeping it we'll under observa-
tion until the "wee sma' hours, when
he made an excellent drawing of the
planet. Comparing this with draw
ing made MI hour narlier by Lockyer,it
was seen that the clouds which had
concealed the sea during the earlier
part of the evening had passed en-
tirely away. Referring these events
to the Martian time, the cloudy
weather on this occasion apparently
occurred in the forenoon, the midday
hour bringing clear weather. which
would seem to have lasted till the
afternoon was far advanced. Judging
from the whitish light which is usu-
ally seen all around the planets disk,
the mornings aud evenings on Mars
are misty.
In 1877 Schiaparelli observed some
peculiar lines on the surface of the
planet Mars, and he called them
canals. For nine years he was the
only astronomer who could see them;
aud when, in 1851, lie further an
nounced that the canals had doubled,
it was supposed for time that the
| Milanese astronomer was The victim
of ali illusion. However, since then
the result of his observations of the
canals of Mars have been abundantly
confirmed both in Europe and Ameri-
ca, especially at the Lick observatory
and the Flag staff observatory. The
observations made by Mr.. Lowell at
the latter observatory and those
already made by Schiararelli tend to
make us feel very much at home on
planet Mars. However, it is neces-
sary to state that Mr.. Lowell's theo
ries are not generally received among
astronomers as satisfactorily estab-
lished at present, but they are well
worthy of consideration.
The canals are not visible during
the winter season on Mars, but rs
springtime advances they make their
oppearonce MS faint. dark lines. grow