Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-07-04
THE SKIES IN JULY

opposition of Mars. which takes place
on July 6, ana brings that most inter-
eStins planet into tho evening sky
TOT tn" rost of the year. BY opposition
Is meant that Mars is now in tho OPP
poslto direction from the earth TO that
or IN" sun. Reduced to actual happcn-
ing, IT means that the Garth sweeping
along in It's journey around the SUM-
passes between the sun and Mars.
Thus, for the time being, Mars IS on
IN" meridian AT midnight and rises as
the sun is going down. It must not
however, be looked FOR I'm tho quarter
Of tho heavens in which the sun rises
icing opposite the sun i'm the plane in
which the earth makes its actual and
IN" sun its apparent Journey, we must
look FOR the planet in tho part of tho
Sky which the sun occupies I'm MIDI
wintcr-that is, far to the south.
Hy the time that darkness has fully
settled we may look to tho cast. ana
the brilliant star of dcc1-rcd color is
Mars, tho ncighhor world of which We
know so much aud yet 50 little. As II
rises higher while the evening nd
vancos. 1t Is clearly DISTINGUISHED by
It's brilliancv. far outshininr any of its
near noighbors. The bright star An
taros. which Mars So much resembles
ana to which further rcfcrcrcc will be
made, Is on tho western side Of tho
Milky Way, while Mars is at present
ON III" eastern border.
Without attempting to sott1c oucs.
TONS for the present incapablc of
answer, few facts rogardine, tnis
planet may DO pondcrod as we look
upon il shining in tho ovcninr st,.
Mars, being at It's nearest apnroaob
during the month. is NOT far from
81. OO0.OO0 miles away Aetroror,ic,ii,.
speaking. this is very noar-a mere
nothing when COMPARED with tho
depths of stellar space.
Actually 1t is good long wa,. 4
lrain running 30 miles an hour would
require 50 years OF incessont notf,n
To traverse a like distance. Tho at.
moSphoro of Mars is very lif,ht prob
ably not greater than that on tho tons
"f our highest mountains. The rod
hue of the planet. therefore. rorrcsonta
tn" a"tu"l color 81 tho soil or rocks
Tho darker. grconish markings soon
through the telescope nav rorrcscnt
vegetation. Almost certainly tbov ara
not bodies Of wator. Tho straight
lines called canals" arc not optical
Illusions. They have been soon by too
many observers no less honest. no less
cool-h"adcd. and no moro dogmati,
than the conservative astronomers who
are willing to he convinced but dofv
anNhodv to convince them. IT has no.
been proven that they arc the result of
construction directed hv intolliyonoc
The theory, however. has tho advan-
tag" of furnishing an explanation OF
what is otherwise absolutely mex
plicahlo to the human mind as at pros-
ont instructed.
That 1t is possible for human" he
ings to exist on Mars has not boon
proven. Still loss is IT possible to as
s"rt tn" contrary. Animate lifc was a
wonderful way Of adapting ftsolf to
conditions, and It may be that food
having different chemical formula
would dispense with tho nocoseit,. of
breathing tho immense quantity Of
oxygen to which We. living mt tho bot
tom of an ocean Of that clement. qro
accustomed. While we NAV not Won
turc too far i'm speculation as IN what
those assumed inhabitants arc Tx,
yet III" orderly course Of evolution
must adapt them for their surround
lnSS by giving them organs Of norcoD-
tlon. lo"nmotion, ana prehcnsion, which
would mako them essentially like our
selves. however much thcy might diffor
in non-cssontials While 1t must ro
main long perhaps forever, unproven.
there exists tn" possibility that the rcd
planet We look upon tonight is tho
abod" Of civilization vastly older ana
more complete than our own. which.
after all, has existed hut moment.