Evening star., 1903-07-01
SIGNALS FROM MARS
BRILLIANT PROJECTION ON THE
RED PLANETS DISK.
Theory That the World of Mars Has
nhabitants-Opinion OF
Astronomers.

who are trying to signal TO US
This question Is again brought to the
front by the announcement that frol'
Lowell-who of all living astronomers
knows most about the red planet-has JUST
observed a brilliant projection from the
edge of it's disk. The brilliant imaginatlohs
of Mr. H. G. Wells have familiarlzed US All
with the possibilities of life on Mars anu
no one who has read The war OF the
Worlds can help shuddering slightly wheh
he remembers that just such pro1ecuoh
indicated the commencement of that terri
flying invasion. Let us be reassured AS
tronomers will tell us that, however rear
istic Mr. Wells story seemed 1t IS prac-
tically impossible that mankind should ever
have TO fight for it's life against Martlan
army, and the hypothesis that what Pro1.
Lowell saw was the flash caused oy tne
firing of a huge gun at the earth may oe
put out of court
1t is with less certainty, however, that
we can decide that the signal theory Is
equally impossible. Indeed, one can hardly
go so far to say that 1t is entlrely III
adequate to explain this projection, thoush
the improba bility of it's being intended for
our notice and produced by si-human
agency is considerable. In the hrst place,
astronomers admit that the existence OF
life somewhat akin to our own on Mars Is
highly probable.
ground for supposing that the earth should
be the only planet on which evolution has
run the course which happens to nave re-
suited in producing our noble selves Set
ting aside the hypothesis of a special crea-
ton and a Divine reason for favoring the
earth beyond any other planet-which may
be true, but is not amenable to discussion
by the light of that ordered reason which
We call science we can all see at once that'
II all the planets are but cooled and hard
n
the real marvel would be not that life
should exist on other planets, but that 1t
should have come into being on the earth
alone.
Similar causes must be assumed to pro-
duce similar effects, though man Is too apt
to think that an exceptional interest and
merit attach to the inconsiderable planet
that has had the honor of bearing him.
If, then. we must assume the probability
that there are other words than ours,
other sentient beings within the limits or
our system, where are we to look for
them?
Life on Mars.
Every argument points to Mars as the
most likely place. The outer planets are
too far from the sun for such life as we
know to maintain itself upon them; In the
remote coldness of Neptune or Uranus only
algae or bacteria could live with any COM
fort, and Imagination refuses to conceive
civilized society of typhoid germs Jupiter
is almost certainly in state OF red heat,
and one might as well try to live in Dutch
oven as where Mercury swims in the sun
beams. The minor planets, those dis1eeted
members of a planet that never was. are
barred by our knowledge of physics. which
tells us that not even the largest OF them
can possess any vestiges of an atmosphere;
while the smaller ones are so ill-provided
with grativating force than an ordinary
mans Jump would take him away into
Infinite space. 1t would be rash, perhaps.
to assert that life without an atmosphere
is impossible. but we cannot conceive II.
There remain. then, only our two nearest
reighbors Mars and Venus. as the possible
homes of such life as we can imagine 70
exist In conditions not too utterly unlike
our own.
There are grave difficulties in the way of
studying Venus from this point or view
and attention has been concentrated on
Mars where some eminent astronomers De-
Iieye that they have found evidence for the
existence of intelligent beings. The evil
dence is rather thin. indeed. consisting
mainly in the demonstration that Mars Is
suited for the existence of life. In the hrst
Dlace Mars possesses an atmosphere much
more rarified than our own-its pressure IS
probably not more than two or tnree
pounds to the square inch. corresponding
TO a barometric reading OF five or six lnches
of mercury-but still conceivably adequate
to support life that had been developed IN
it, though a man transported thither or a
Martian suddenly brought hither would
equally be unable to survive without
diving costume.
What Has Been Seen.
This is proved not only by spectroscopic
observations which have shown the pres
ence of an atmosphere containing water
yapor. but by the regular waxing and wan
ing of the white patches of snow that sur
round the Marian poles. In other phyS-
cal respects Mars is essentially similar 10
the earth and 1T requires no great stretch
of imagination to see how the human con-
stitution could be modified to 1--we there.
So far the evidence for life on Mars con-
fines ITSELF to asserting Its possibility. d.
rect evidence of its presence has been
sonyht and as some hold with success.
This consists mainly in the apparently resu-
lar change of certain features or the
nIanet's surface which is attributed by MT
lowell and others to the action or lntell1-
,ort hainqs These are the well-known
.canals'' seen in the best telescopes as a
network of lines on the Martian surface
which at certain seasons OF the year appear
to be duplicated.
Some observers maintain that they are
simply an optical delusion-that the wish to
see them is father to the observation But
a little positive evidence in such matters
cutweighs much negative; If two or three
answer that twenty or thirty have not
Hence we are entitled to consider, at least
as a working hypothesis the theory that
these singular marks are due to some vast
engineering or agricultural operations on
Mars.
If then we assume the probability Of sem
tient life on Mars. it is an easy step to sup
pose that its Inhabitants may wish to COM
municate with other planets, Just as we
should dearly like to communicate with
them Hence 1t is often supposed that any
remarkable appearance on Mars may be a
signal to our address. The chief difficulties
in thus interpreting such an observation as
Mr.. Lowell has just made are twofold The
first is that the gigantic size of such sig
nal for US to perceive IL seems to bar the
possibility of its artificial nature.
A Flag as Big as Ireland.
Sir Robert Ball says that signaling from
Mars to earth would need & flag the size of
Ireland or an electric light as big as Lon
don. There is no great exaggeration in such
q calculation. Probably the projection
which has just been observed is due to sun
light striking cloud at a height OF some
twenty miles in the Martian atmosphere,
according TO the received explanation of
similar observations made four or five times
within the last generation. But II the Mar
tians are really 50 far advanced In engi-
neering to be able to carry out irrigation
rES fhl oCf cnnln t1at 10 l.