The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-15
WATCH MARS
THIS MONTH
Washington Post.

LILO MVlv ] III
Washington Post.
The Gath of this month will be a great
day for astronomers. Every telescope
that they possess. especially the par
ticularly far-seeing ones. perfected
| during the last fifteen years. will then
be pointed at that most interesting of
planets, Mars. The reason for this Is
that the latter will be nearer the
earth on September IL than 1t has
been since 1894, Every fifteen years
Mars gets an access Of sociability and
lessons the distance between itself and
the earth by a trifie OF 100000 miles.
whereas on an average Ii holds aloof to
the extent of 100000 miles.
With this proximity. interest in the
planet, which Is always keen, will be-
come. even among those who cannot
claim to be astronomers. all the Keen
err, not only on account of the proba-
bility that new discoveries concerning
matters Marian will be made by
means of the powerful telescopes now
available to observers Of the heavens.
but also owing TO the fact that some
one of the methods of signaling to
the planet. which of late have come
into special prominence. may possibly
be successtul-that they may be read
and answered by "Martians." Therein
81
layman. As Prof. Pickering. of Har-
ward said few months ago. the vast
majority OF people are interested in
astronomy solely because they think
that life may exist on other planets
besides the earth.
IF they thought those planets to be
dead" he declared. they wouldn't care
two cents about astronomy"
Mars is without a doubt the most
popular planet in the heavens Ever
since the earliest times of stargazing
Its peculiar reddish hue has attracted
special attention. It was dubbed by
the Chinese OF remote times to the Red
Planet. The Hindus called it the
Ember. the Hebrews the Burning One,
the Egyptians the Red Horus,- the
Greeks the Fiery. And from the ear
Hest times also this reddish hue has
made men associate 1t with the god
Of war. From the Greek name for this
god. Ares, comes the Latin Mars, by
which name we now call the Red Pla-
net
Chinese Observations 1000 ID. G.
1t Is said that some sort Of an as
tronomicait observation OF Mars was
made by the Chinese as long ago as
1000 b. c.. but the records Of this feat
| are very hazy. Nor are subsequent
| studies Of Mars OF much value until
| the observations ofythe great-Hersehsf
about 100 years ago, which first began
to draw attention to the planet. AZ
ter. Herschel the most important dis
covery was that made by Beer and
Medler, who claimed to have found
| '1akes" on the planets surface.
But by far the most striking Of Mar
| tian discoveries-that which riveted
public attention once and for all to the
nlanet--was made in 1877 by the ItaI-
tan astronomer. Schiaparelli. He came
he haf he haA
found the surface of Mars to be COW
cred with canals"
He maintains that these were of arr
tincial origin; with that the great
on 'Mars:-came into being. It has
! ranged uninterruptedly ever since
Schaiparellfs announcement The
books written on the subject have
in orasr that life may exist any
where we assume that the place In
heat and water: otherwise, as Prof
Todd, OF Amherst says, We must seek
new DEFINITION of life. Studies of
conducted with ali possible ib min gSs-
,nent seems to indicate that Mars is
In Its physical properties. to that Of
our own earth.
Pref ssrS S,.. Lowell who :, has dis; s,
the existence Of Martians," conducted
over period Of six months as the OBJ:
that "a this atosp Shss aboSa
Mars was Of remarkable clearness.
Among the most conspicuous things
Of Mars are two big white patches
In the neighborhood of the planets
poles which are generally to be held
This view is supported by the fact
that these patches seem TO change
with the Marian seasons, Increasing
In size during winter, decreasing with
the approach of spring, and becoming
scarcely visible in summer.
One view of the Martians is that
ate ate' struggle against death BY thirst
It is commended that the canals" are
parttss a of water ya whsS when
the snow and Ice melt at the poles"
and distribute It throughout the pla-
for over II the su
race We're originally supposed to be
seas. but recent observations as see seem ito to
RT rsv surs ns a or the to p shGS af msds
lid of land. In. fact. the picture we
have Of Mars, based on. the general
vast desert area, sprinkled with GASES,
on which say those who claim that
there is intelligent life on Mars. the
'hh@oit Cites Canals and Lakes.
The canals. which of all the mark.
ings distinguished on Mars nave
aroused the keenest interest, nave
been descrhsd Sy and straisSter al
closer observations. following the
course of great cities. and distributed
Ike a net work over the surface OF
the planet Several appear TO pass
through the same point az which tne
as iakea. are visible. Hence, fanciful
pictures Of Marian cities have been
made located at such functions, with
canals ,adiating from central pump
ing stationS' to every point OF the
Explanations Of this canal system
Harvard argues that. wherever there
are two possible reasons for a thlng'
II is best TO take the simpler Renee,
applying this methods 70 the srriha
TO them a natural rather than an arti-
ficiaI origin. He has grounded Two
theories: First, that the canals are
hatura! volcanic cracks, ana secona,
that--lf they are artifoial-tney are
rowsZ"long binds Of vegetation.
In support OF his first theory Pror'
Pick ering has repeatedly called atten-
ton to Volcanic cracks. similar In aps
pearance 70 what have been. ,caitteea a
Hawaiian Islands In these cracks
there l. vegetation, caused by the
steam Prom fhe volcanoes.
II rejected the ssrtifiHcai, al canal SIcG ths
It is impossible. to have water In the
don't think that 1t is pumped. it would
take too much energy and work TO
pump the water supply OF a planet"
But 1. is just here that the Mar
tian" comes in. THOSE who believe IN