Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-09-14
CANALS ON MARS.
Further Proof Of Their Actual Formation.

Further Proof OF Their Actual Formation.
Ever since the presence of canals or
channels (canalD on the surface of the
planet Mars was first described by the
Italian astronomer, G.. v. Schlaparelli, in
1877 the question of their character, and
even Of their real existence, has been
keenly debated. On the one hand, they
have been accepted as truly material for
nations, and various hypothesis have
been advanced to explain them, such as
that they are waterways connecting with
oceans, or that they consist of lines of
vegetation growing along irrigation works
which derive their water from the sea-
sonal melting OF the polar SHOWS, and
are the result of intelligent effort of some
sort, or that they are merely great riffs
produced in the globe by uneven contrac-
ton on cooling. On the other hand some
competent observers have failed to detect
the canals at all, while others who have
succeeded in seeing them have not agreed
with each other in their descriptions of
what they saw. In consequence it has
been suggested that these canals or chan
nels are of the nature of illusions of Wis
ion. and are not the definite features that
appear on the drawings, but rather the
result of slight suggestions made to the
eye by more or less irregular differences
In the minute shadings and color tints on
the surface of the planet"
Within the last few months fresh light
has been thrown on the question by a
piece of work carried out at the Lowell
observatory at Flagstaff, Ariz. The OBJ
servers there have always been among
the most successful in seeing and drawing
the canals; and they resolved to supple
ment their visual observations by an at
tempt to photograph them in the favor
able conditions presented by the planets
opposition in the spring of last year. when
1t was comparatively near the earth. The
ri Of 10 ek,Hf
uonal advantages for such a task. It
stands 1850 feet above sea level, and
therefore above many of the lower and
denser layers Of the atmosphere which
incommode observatories at less attitudes,
and 1t possesses the largest glass in the
world mounted at such an elevation. Fur
Their, the air Is intensely dry, and its
currents trouble the image less and pro-
duce less distortion and obliteration OF
detail than at lower levels in more humid
conditions. Without such advantages the
undertaking would be hopeless; even with
them it was one OF extraordinary difficulty
and delicacy, and called for numberless
precautions.
1t must be remembered that the diam
eter OF the planet at the time was only
some fifteen seconds OF arc, and that the
view Of 1t to be obtained even with the
largest telescopes in favorable conditions
is little, II any, better than that OBJ
But to secure the required definition OF
detail it was usually thought necessary
at Flagstaff to use only the central por-
zion of the 24-inch object glass Of the
telescope, which accordingly was reduced
by diaphragm to an effective diameter
of twelve inches; a color screen was en-
ployed that allowed only the yellow and
orange rays to pass, and the extremely
| sensitive plates which had to be used
permitted exposures of only from six to
ten seconds, though during that time the
utmost care had to be exercised to insure
that the telescope followed the planet
smoothly and exactly
The result was that Mr.. Lampland,
Professor Lowell's assistant at Flagstaff
succeeded in obtaining in May and June
a number Of photographs OF the planet al
different stages of rotation, which show
canals quite distinctly and even present
indications of the doubling which has
| been regarded as still more doubtful than
the existence of the canals themselves
When a series OF these photographs taken
on the same night In close succession Is
examined, the same markings are seen tC
be repeated from one to the other though
naturally some OF the pictures are better
than others; and comparison OF drawings
made of the planets surface by Professor
Lowell himself at about the same dates
as. though quite independently Of the
photographs shows close correspondence
between the two canals having the same
position and direction being perfectly
visible on both drawings and photographs
even to the unframed observer. ghe de.
fining power OF the eye, however, is 50
much superior to that OF the Photographic