The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-07-03
JR
 MONTH OF JULY .t One Can See in the Heavens By Just
 Looking. MARS NOW SUPREME The Moon to be Positively Eclipsed During the
 Month.
MARS NOW SUPREME


 evening hours:
 The planet Mars now relgns supreme and, being in oposition to the sun, is in the best position for observation. At 3 o'clock in the evening it is seen glowing brilliantly in the southeast, among the stars of the constellation Sagittarius. As the hours pass it rises higher above the horizon, and at mid night 1t reaches the meridian, pre- senting a truly splendid appearance on account both of it's brightness and its ruddy hue, so different from that of any other planet. It is possible that this peculiarity of Mars, suggest ing the color of blood, was the reason why in ancient times the name of the god of war was assigned to this planet. Mars attracts universal at tention just now because the present opposition is an unusually favorable one, the planet being nearer to the earth than it has been in many years. The true date of opposition is July G., when the distance separating Mars and the earth will be, in round num- bers, 3S,0OO0,00 miles. No other large planet, except Venus, ever gets as near to us as that. Occasionally, how ever, Mars itself comes a little nearer, as 1t will do during its next opposition in 1909. On the present occasion, nev- ertheless, 1t will be near enough to af- ford the most admirable opportunities for the study of its strangely marked and variegated surface There is no other planet which presents so many features resembling those of our own earth. Attention was called to some of these last month, but 1t is worth while to go a little further into the de- scription of Mars this month, because 1t will be the subject of study at ev- cry observatory in the world, and in teresting discoveries may be announce ed within few weeks.
 Mars Is the fourth planet in the or der of distance from the sun and the sevnth in size, Jupiter being the larg- est and Mercury the smallest. Mars mean or average distance from the sun is 141,50O000 miles, but thsi orbit is so eccentric that the distance Is variable to the extent of 13O00.O0O miles. The diameter of Mars is 4,200 miles and it's density Is 73 per cent. of that of the earth. El1s force of gravity, which de- terpaffies the weight of bodies is about --SS per cent. of that on the earth, It follows that a body weighing 100 pounds on the earth if removed to the surface of Mars would weigh only 3S pounds. The length of the year for Mars, or the time takes for one rev. olution around the sun, is 6S9 days or 43 days less than two of our years. At this distance Mars receives from the . sun on every square mile of its surface Ia little less than half as much light sAend heat as fall upon the same area of the earth's surface. Unless then, there is some peculiarity of its at mosphere tending to store up heat the average temperature of Mars must be much lower than ours. The sunshine must also be considerably less bril- liant.
 The length of the day, or the time of the planets rotation on its axis, Is about 24 1-2 hours, very closely ac- ,cordant with that of the earth. An other close resemblance of the earth is found in the inclination of the axis of Mars to the plane of it's orbit. This inclination is 24 degrees 50 minutes for Mars, and 23 1-2 degrees for the earth It results from this similarity that the seasons on Mars, as far as they de- pend upon the inclination of its axis, are practically identical with those of the earth-except that owing to the greater length of aMrs' year, each sea- son lasts nearly twice as long as it does with us. Thus each hemisphere of Mars has, in turn, nearly six months of winter, six months of spring, six months of summer and six months of autumn.
 The surface of the planet is seen with telescopes to be variegated with lighter and darker regions, the former having a reddish yellow color. These latter regions have generally been re- garded as representing continents or land areas, while the darker areas, which sometimes appear slightly blu ish in color, have been thought by some observers to be seas and oceans. Around the poles are distinctly seen broad patches, or caps, of brilliant white, which gradually disappear as summer advances, and which are very reasonably regarded as representing snow. Even a smal telescope will readily show the white cap covering the South pole of Mars, which is now visible from the earth.
 The celebrated "canals,' which cross the surface of the planet and intersect one another in every direction, can only be seen with the most powerful instruments. Hundreds of them have Neen mapped by Schiaparelli, Percival Nwell. What they are is a mystery awaiting complete solution. The most careful stury of them will be made this summer in many observatories. Perhaps Professor Lowell is right in regarding them as of artificial origin, the work of the intelligent inhabitants of Mars. According to this theory the 'canals' represent irrigated bands up- on the planet. Mars being much older than the earth has parted with the larger part of it's waters-or perhaps water never existed there as abundant ly as upon the earth--and now the in habitants find that to preserve the life of the planet through vegetation it is necessary to draw upon the supply it is nbcessary to draw upon the supply of water furnished by the annual melt