The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-09-15
DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES
OBSERVATIONS
LICK OBSERVATORY OFFICIAL
GIVES OUT RESULT OF
WATCHING MARS.

San Jose, Cal. Sept 14--Directur
w. W. Campbell Of Lick observatory.
who announced several days ago the
result Of his discoveries regarding the
atmosphere on the planet Mars. and
who has just returned from Mt. Whit
ncy. the highest point of land In the
United States. where his observations
were made has completed a synopsis
of the data secured by the expedition.
Director Campbell, in his report. says:
1t had for its purpose a study Of
the question of water Sapor in the
atmosphere of the planet Mars. Tho
observations. made on the nights of
September / and >, were mainly pho
tographic.
The observer OF Mars must look
through the earth's atmosphere and the
great quantity of water vapnr in our
atmosphere. If the observer Is near
the sea level or at an ordinary altI-
tude, b1ots out the effect of any Mar
tan vapor. making a solution Of the
problem impossible.
High Up.
by ascending Mt. whitney. aIti-
tudc 14.5OI feet. the Croker expcdi-
ton placed itself above probably four
fIfths or more Of the earth's water va
por Further. the air on Mt Whitney
VAS astonishingly clear during the time
III the observations. With barometer
"a inches. air temperature % de-
erees Fahrenheit and wet thermome-
ter II degrees, students Of the atn.os-
phere will recognize that the ebs.rY-
ers of Mars were looking through re-
markably little terrestrial water vapor.
Even this small quantity would be
almost fatal to success II we did not
have fairly satisfactory method Of
eliminating its effects. as follows:
Our moon has no appreciable at
mosphere. The lunar and Marita n
spectra win be affected alike by the
water yapnr In the carths atmos
phere, These spectra are photographed
one Immediately after the other, while
the conditions in our atmosphere re-
main unchanged and with the moon
and Mars at the same altitude above
the horizon. SO that their rays trav-
ersed equal paths In our atmosphere.
Ii the vapor bands in the Marian
than In the lunar spectrum. Mars has
water vapor in considerable quantities.
II the bands In the two spectra are
equally strong. water vapor on Mars
does not exist I'm sufficient quantities
to be detected by the spectro-scopic
method.
May BE Life. 1885,
ann IN
exist. Both spectra Mere photographers
when Mars and the moon were near
the horizon. again when they Mere mt
medium attitudes and finally when Trey
were ~ degrees above the horizon. The
hest saror band. technically cille1
Little A. was faint in both specira
when the bodies were low. fainter when
the bodies were higher. and very faint
when the bodies We're at their highest,
for equal attitudes the Little a bands
In the Marian lunar spectra We're
equally intense. plainly signifsing that
the observed bands were due To water
vapor in the earth's atmosphere above
the summit Of Mt. Whitney. This does
not mean that Mars has no water
vapor, but only that the quantity
present. II any. must be very slight.
Let us recall that we see Mars by re-
Elected sunlight The rays which
reached our instruments passed from.
the sun into the Marian atmosphere.
for the most part. dawn tn the surface
af the planet and then out again tn
us. thus passing twice through the
planets atmosphere and any water
vapor it may contain. Even with this
multiplying on Mars the yapor bands
in the Marian and lunar sneetra were
alike. and we conclude that any water
xapor in the Marian atmosphere must
have been much less extensive than
vas contained In the rarified and re
markahly dry air strata above Nit
Whitney.
These observations do moi prove
that life does not or cannot exist on
Mars The question of life under these
conditions In the biologists problem.
rather than the astronomers.