Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-07
Mars Still a Big Puzzle.

| The planet Mars has been con-
spicuous object in the evening skies
for several months. and has now
reached its maximum brightness TWO
or three months hence owing to in
creasng distance. il VIII cease to force
| itself upon public attention. ana will
practically disappear for two years
| Inasmuch as the centre around which
Mars describes its orbit is not very
close to the sun. the interval between
its path ana the elrths is not uniform.
In one place they are only $4,000 900
miles apart, ana in another fully So
100000 miles. 1t Is At the latter point
| that we are NOW passing the ruddy
planet. A February opposition" is
never so favorable to a study of Mar
tian geography as an August "oppo-
sition, therefore, though some of the
most striking discoveries have been
| made at this time of year.
Without doubt the greatest problems
which this planet presents to the
astronomers relate to the nature of the
so-Calied canals. Percival Lowell be
lieves them to be streaks of dark
vegetation. following the course of a
| system of irrigatinS bitches. He does
| forty. fifty and hundred miles wide.
| but that branches extend literally
| from the main watercourses. so as TO
| feed belts of that width. AT no time.
according to his view. do the canals
| themselves become visible But Mr..
Lowelrs conjectures. fascinating as
! they are. have not yet been backed
up by demonstrations. and are not on
I,A
| trained in the art of weighing evil
dences and who carefully distinguish
between hypothesis and fact. Another
| supposition regarding these strange
markings is that they are mere assures
| in the crust of Mars. a third way O
dealing with them is to consider them
| an optical illusion. Schiaparelll. their
disCo1 nrer. and Flammarion. one of the
| highest living authorities on the sub
| iect. however insist on the genuineness
Of the phenomena. although refrainins
from any positive declaration as 10
| their nature.
The mystery Of the canals is still
further heightened by the assertion
that at times they appear double.
Schiaparelli was the first to announce
this popularity. He was inclined to
|
dunlication was related to "A change Of
seasons 1t was first observed at about
the time of the vernal equinox on
Mars The amount of corroboratiNe
evidence in support of the occurrence
of termination thus far presented is
not great. and although at one time
astronomers were inclined to regard
the question as settled afiirmatively.
eli
IN rbeir faith Antoniadi. for instance.
insists that the effect of doubling can
be producted in any telescope by
slight inaccuracy in focusing. rms
exclamation has not been received with
universal favor. Indeed. 1t proves TOO
much. Sometimes Schiaparelfi. Lowell
and others report only two or three
canals doubled. and sometimes score.
but at the same time few other
canals appear single. Now Antoniadi's
theory seems to require that all shall
onrear double or all single. As the
matter now stands. therefore, there IS
| !, great need of further observation
with special reference to termination.
and though theFdistance of Mars at the
present opposition is unfavorable to
sucb study, yet the season is at hand
when. according to Schaparelli. the
phenomenon ought to be expected.
| puzzling as the canals arc, though. they
have begun TO revolutionizc scientific no
tions regarding the distribution of land
and water on Mars Formerly the orange
and mink areas were called continental,
and the gray. green and blue oceanic.
| II first the canals, which are generally
| cray were only detected on what We're
| cnnsi,lercd land areas. Hut subsequently
| they were perceived on what had been
,,..lr,itd as seas. Thus they have sug-