The National tribune., 1909-07-22
THE MESSAGE TO MANS
Little Prospects OF Successful G. aiun
icatiOn at Present.

Editor National Tribune: No flash
lights nor aerial navigators will ever be
able to signal nor receive replies from
the man on Mars. With the present
limited astronomical telescopes wonder
full discoveries have been made in the
last SO years, especially by the 36-inch
lens on Mount Hamilton, Cal, where
had the honor of looking at Saturn In
1903. when we had our National En-
campment at San Francisco. Yet one
may say in comparison with a century
past what vast discoveries have been
made by such noted astronomers as
Bernard, Lowell, Campbell, Han, PICK
ering, Flammarion and hundred 9TH
er celebrated astronomers. The most
interesting planet is Mars, in all or It's
attractiyeness and similarity, material
ly and physically, to us. In size II Is
very little difference from our Worio
While our year is only S65 days, Mars
is 678. nearly double of ours. Mars
water courses. as shown from the spec
troscope, are very much like our own
of nearly two parts water to one part
mountains and valleys. Mars's water
ways or the so-called canals. with lis
vast extended oceans lakes and rivers
are similar to spider web.
Mars, like our earth, has North
and South Arctic Pole. The ice and
SHOWS WiInh tHelT ClECitS dtb
flood the lowlands. Mars's average dis
tance from the sun is about 140.500.000
miles, while ours is near 93,OOO,O0o
miles. Mars's distance from our planet
usually is from 35,000.000 to 100000 .O00
miles 1t revolves in "a hours and 81
minutes. The diameter Is 4,200 miles.
The physical and material reflection
thru the spectroscope is dull orange
dark grayish-green and pure white
l..N .4r.y.x otyr fn n n
while dull orange and grayish-2reen are
mountains. forests and vegetation.
strange phenomenon Is that during its
678 days of snow, frost, Winter and
Summer, the hoods at each of It's poles
shrink and expand as the seasons
change. Prof. Campbell, who is In
charge of the great Lick telescope, OBJ
served in October. 1894. the atmos-
pheric changes of thin, vapory forma-
ton as extensive as the continent of
Europe. This atmospheric condition
remained, he says, for nearly month.
The celebrated astronomer. Schioporelli,
observed trade winds from pole to pole;
also that its climatic conditions have
been observed; that its days are clear
with brightness of warmth. while OF
nights the thermometer fell to freezing.
The most interesting sight on Mars
are its two moons. They are not so
large as ours, which is one-thirteenth
the size of the world and $4,000 miles
distant. Prof. Asaph Hall made the
discovery in 1877 of these orbs. Deimos.
he says, is about 40 miles across its
surface. 1t revolved in 80 hours and
Is minutes. Its distance from the plan
cts center is 1900 miles. 1t rises in
the east and sets in the west; that it is
1872 hours between rising and setting.
Phebes, its twin brother, is the more
brilliant Its distance from Mars is
only $500 miles 1t rises in the west
and sets in the east. 1t moves across
the heavens in IL hours. What beau
tiful panorama the people on Mars en-
joy with the conditions of their moon
light. Likely their star observers on
Mars imagine that they are the only
living beings of Gods greatness. They
very likely have the same narrowness
of ideas. and have thought for ages
that aside from themselves all other
shining stars are only insignificant orbs.
not fitted for man or beast to live upon.
Henry Fairback, Past Department
Commander. 1850 North Grand avenue,
St Louis, Mo.