Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-06
new (onfREJ]1onAL HOTEL
MARS GETS NEAR THE EARTH
ONLY 3S,OoO,oOo MILES SEPARATE
THE TWO PLANETS.
Observations Being Made by Officials
of Naval Observatory Here
and Elsewhere.

The scientific eyes of the world will be
turned on the red planet" Mars, tonight,
il is said, as Mars today is nearer the earth
than it has been in many years, there being
3S,O0O,OCO miles of space only between the
two planets. Consequently there will be
trained Mars after shutdown this even
ing all the improved telescope photo
graphic aad stereoscopc apparatus known
to science.
The statement was made at the naval
observatory here today that special obser-
vations of Mars have been taken for the
past month and will continue a mont
longer 1t was also said that two years
hence, when the next opposition will occur,
the planet VIII be still nearer the earth
than it is today. One of the officials of
the naval observa tory said an expedition in
charge of Prof. Todd of Amherst College
is on the west coast of South America
making Photographs of Mars as rapidly as
possible.
May Be" a Prophet.
An eastern scientist is quoted as saying,
1T may be that today will give to the
earth's people their first formal introduce
ton TO the MartIans. those creatures of
romance and imagination.
1T may be that We shall get positive
Photographic evidence of engineering work
that will make childs play of the Pennsyl-
wanna and Belmont tubes and other under
takings that to US are gigantic Who
knows? At any rate, If We don't it will
not be the fault of the astronomers for to-
night Mars, glowing in the southeast
heavens, will be the astronomical focus of
the universe.
proving telescope cameras. So far, man
has been unable to produce a telescope
that Will reveal to the human eye an OBJ
ject on Mars less than fifty miles in
diameter. But the highly developed sys-
tenn of stereoscopfc Photography has
brought this down materially, the camera
portraying that which the eye cannot CATCH
1t is this system of Photography that is
being used in observations of Mars today
AS a further aid to the human eve the
photographs are placed under the most
powerful microscopes. This microscopic
inspection is largely the work of women,
and Ida NJ. Stevens. Annie J. Cannon and
Mrs. w. Patton Fleming So after all it
probably will be an American woman who
first er cts the real Martians
Sir Robert Ball. professor of astronomy
at Cambridge University has this to say
concerning the proba bilities of important
Marian discoveries being made under the
rarely favorable conditions that exist to-
day:
''In discussing the question whether there
are human beings. thinking creatures of
whatever variation in form from our own
upon the other planets there are various
conditions which We do know and which
make the existence of such creatures i'm
possible on very many of the other worlds
THE four important conditions that must
be kept in mind are:
rs the planet solid?
as the attraction of gravity toward the
center of the planet much greater than
here that it would glue any living creature
To the surface?
rs the temperature such that life would
persist?
And. lastly, is the air surrounding the
planet Of the kind that man can breathe
and live thereby?
by the process of elimination. based on
positive knowledge of the planets we
find only two of the great stars upon which
sentient life is possible-namely, Mars and
Venus. 1t seems more than possible If we
continue to advance in the next twenty
years as We have in the last that the astron-
omers. especially of America, will have
made it possible to be sure whether or not
there are human beings on Mars and
Venus, and if there be the next step will
naturally be to enter into communca ton
with them. That this progress would be
made in America seems warranted by the
achievements already attained and by the
advantages which are being utilized so
widely and ingeniously in that country"
Special preparations have been made at
all the important American observatories
for the work of tonight, and whether or
not the great mysteries of Mars are IL
Illuminated it is believed much valuable
data will be gathered.