The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-04
MARS AT ITS NEAREST
WHAT EXPERTS SAY NOW or
PLANETS INHABITANTS.


necessary to look south about midnight
or a little earlier. and the planets disc.
bright and fiery red. catches the eye at
once, IL the night be clear enough for any
stars 10 be seen at all.
Mars was in Opposition. /" that Ia, he was
on the meridian. at true midnight, and
was therefore visible throughout tho
entire night On Saturday. July Q; he wa at
his nearest approach to the earth a week
later, on Saturday, July IL, when he was
! distant from us less than ss.0oo.cc9 miles.
lie il therefore specially well placed for
the markings on his flushed. angry looking
face 10 be watched and studied.
But IL must not be supposed, writes Mrs.
A. ID. Maunder in the London Chronicle,
! that astronomers have been waiting for
either Of these dates TO begin this seasons
work on the planet. Observers In England
indeed are at a great disadvantage this
year, az Mars Is unusually low dow in the
south, and il is almost hopeless for them
to expect TO he favored with clear and
steady views Of him. 1t il therefore to
astronomers OF tropical or southern coun-
tries that we must chiefly look for fresh
information respecting our neighbor this
year.
The Opposition" OF a planet 10 utterly
unlike a total eclipse OF the sun; there are
no magic moments wherein rose red flames
or silvery corona are suddenly unveiled.
to he lost again as soon. On only chance
OF learning more Of our planetary comrades
In the solar system In by the slow and long
continued method OF watching them night
after night. for successive months. through
each recurring Opposition" and little by
little gathering together facts. separately
trivial. until the sum total IL sufficient to
warrant definite conclusions. The process
il slow and unsensational. but That Ia the
way Of science. A planet cannot be doomed
like q soap, a patent pill or a political cry.
And the scientific method has taught us
an amazing amount about Mars in the two
centuries and a half that he has been sub
jected TO telescope scrutiny. Every pnrt
Of its surface has been cbarted; we know
il more completely. though Of course not
nearly in such detail. than we know that Of
the moon: for Mars turns every side to us
and keeps no hemisphere in hiding as our
satellite does. We may even truly say
th6S W 'know" ess,lrfhyN Of Mars more
completely than we know that Of our own
world: for our telescopes easily find their
way TO both his poles; neither his Arctic
nor his Antarctic regions have 10 he written
down -unexplored."
But though we know 40 much Of the sur
face Of Mars. can IL be supposed for a mo-
IDCIAl NiuN VIZ ~ INolA w ~ AAsA Wv bAeN
yet learn. all that there is to Learnt?
This question is called forth by the con-
~troversy that has arisen about the canals"
of Mars. for the one astronomer Mr..
Lowell OF Arizona. Us. A. who contends
that these are really artificially made water
WAYS bases his argument oil the assnmp-
ton that his drawings OF the planet are
perfect and could not be materially changed
IL in the future we should be able to see the
planet much better than We can at present.
IL IN NsArxy huEA for anu nna Whn hna mot
made the planet "a study TO realize how
difficult an object IL IL and TO appreciate at
their full value the skill and patience which
have secured 30 rich a harvest OF facts.
Mars, even at its nearest. seen az it's very
best is no larger than a four inch ball seen
at the distance Of half "a mile. II would be
no small feat to detect lines under One-thir-
tieth Of an inch in breadth on such a globe
even with the best Of telescopes, y 1T the
canals" of Mars would he no wider than
this on such a globe, and every marking Of
One-tenth Of an inch In diameter would
nave TO be drawn in form and place before
the little ball would have been AZ fully
represented al Mars IL now shown TO us in
the maps Of Schiaparelli. Lowell and others.
The result is that We find in Mars some
chara cte like those OF our own world
some very different. just as We find on
the moon mountains, hills and volcanoes
reminding US with differences OF those
OF tho earth, but fail to lind oceans, seas
10 h,,. I;,,la Ionaar tban o,,ra and M. va ria.
tons in bis seasons aimost exsc,iv the Same
swith us tbough Of course slower since his
ueor i, ai,nost twice the Ian 9TH 81 the tar
yes, ria, vaar Nc also 400 that unlike the
,nonn he hos m atmosnbara that clouds
fnpn ON !, AMI snow sa Ils Rnt with these
,ba rasar,IJance 10 our own world saa,ns
% and Ma bas NO oceana no great
.. 80 ,yator there m,s, Inc L,t II ia
snoaii in arnnn, and L. not gathered m.
sa,her IN great basins IN the other hand
Ca has : saature mpknown n The earth,
b a h,s a. canals
A. isost waba~a nothing nm this sar,h that
wanan racoSniza a. scaneIs = hut that NAV
wen he becamse we are too near ~ orr own
81 mcu ond co. S,s teo,uraS IN 90 m,cI, da,a;i
wa acnupot zoe The Wool torths treas".'
hu.. thera con he little domht hat astrono-
49, on Vanns ~ tbera he anv such
IT, : No ,bs;r tslescona. 70 Sard our eartb
,,uniinrhh..s varv Will sae amonn our chat
m,smu hiicsl fsa',rss I;nas az abarn and
go ~, anJb a ri as anv canal" that NJ
uaS r"ias acrass he dro w;nas 81 Nors
1pmen NC ~hatj s hnya,,ar - nrnh'
- ;ha, on a,mnsnbars ia arent
aul n, ~ 'n ,nov, nur nranns ssos and r;vers
,mohh a d;scr;Winotad from tbs sniid lsnd
~ ug ,ond = do',h, ,hoo amn1on ~. %iIa'
~ Nississ;nni he ~ Iawrenns and IN.