The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-25

closest approach to earth, although
astronomers are akcptical OF IN"
thcor, ~! MarConi that tAe Mnrtians
arc signallng us hy wireless and take
no stock In tho projected 6O-toot
.whrllng dish Of quicksilver which X
IL promised will magnify the power
OF vision TO 2b.OOO,000 times It's nor
NAL strength.
IN 1924 Mars will come within
5000. 900 miles ot tho earth. Re
cause OF lta eccentric orbit, com
pared 10 the more nearly circular
one ~ the earth. Mars approaches
that close only once IN Is ycnra,
In 1924 obscrvatorics will be
much better equipped 10 study MARS
than they we're IN 1909, whom the
plnuct hast appeared al its biggest
and rcddcsi Ia our sky. In 1924
Mars win De tho cynosure of tele-
scopes all over the earth. Tho 100
inch Hooker telescope at MI VII
son, and the marvellous tnstrdmtnts
and methods for annlyzing nght
which are In use there, may deti-
nitcly solve the question whether
Mars h inhabited.
As the distance of Mars from the
earth varies from 9b, 600, 600 TO 2SA,-
OOO. 600 miles, the wireless signals
from the planet, IL there are any,
viii have a better chance 10 register
n 1924 over the comparatively brief
span OF 5000, 900 miles.
Those "Signnls" From Mars.
For the last twenty years Mays
has been reported frequently TO We
attempted TO signal to uH by wireless
rays, hy Flushing lights and even,
according to some Imaginative spe-
oulatists, by writing sign MESSAGES
of planet wide size over Its latt
! tudcS by means of tho Mars canal
system. VI has been suggested that
". acknowledge receipt by forming
words in vegetation over the blank
/ OF the sahara desert
The Mnrconl wireless communica'
tion theory ia more plausible timr
any OF tho others. because tina
great inventor reports that he ha
picked M wireless waves 100 mile
long, while the greatest produce'
on earth by artificial means ar
about 10 miles long. Many way
OF explaining this have occurred I
skeptics, but the MarcOni signal
have more IN them to interest con
| aerVntivC Pcicntists than any OF IN
previous types
There was a sensation In 1870
when II was reported that signailinl
from Mara had bocn detected at thl
Lowell observatory at Flagstaff
Ariz. This was based on the mis-
understanding OF a telegraph mes
sage . concerning some projcctet
lights over the rim OF Mars Instead
OF presenting n perfect outline, Mar
showed slight cNcTcsscnces OF light
These were calculated TO be IRON
n to 80 miles above the surface o
the planet
similar Projections From ri6Ts.
similar isolated projections o
! light had been seen on the moon
| but this wnH easily uncovered to h'
the sunlight tipping the, mountain
tops, an effect visible on earth II
mountainous country when the rtHinl
sun giids the SUBMITS when th'
lower parts OF the mountains an'
the valleys are still in darkness.
But Mars has no mountains. Hc
cordlng 10 general agreement hmonl
observers II WINS believed also 4
be almost cioudiess. The occasiona
high lights however, are now agree
60 have been clouds which az
thought 20 occur. though somewha
rarely. ono theory In thaNhc cluu
was composed Of dust blows mp hig
by a storm on one OF the rcd deseh
of Mars, or else by volcano. B,
4 volcanoes are not known on Mar
| ! Great dust storms also are consit
| cred unlikely, because though win
| may rush TO and fro at high spec
| on Mars, the atmosphere iH~yel
| rare, probably of about the aan
density as Chat on top OF Moul
| / Everett.
The late Pcrcival Lowell, one
tho greatest students Of Mars, WI
| puzzled for time, when Orillia
flash OF light dartcd from Mars In
II HIS tcleaCope---a flash more brlllia
II than that ever seen from any hea
! cnly body except the sun, But
hrtef calculation showed him IA
the flash was not signal FRO
u scientists on Mars but was what
x called Zone of natures own signals
III lie found that the sun was In sut
" position that, at the instant Wh'
!, ne was dnlzlcd. the rays or the su
II had struck on" Of the ghstenlu
polar iceCapH On Mars ana hah pee
.' reflected as from a mirror INTO u
. Cycs.
n "Strays" Interpreted as Signals.
y Electric currents which appaI
e. entity wander through eternity u
the earth here and there, causing
e mysterious kissing and crackhnk !
% virclcss apparatus and sometime
Iupsctting human olectrlcal cohtrlN
r |anccs, ns the great magnetic storI
of last May did on nm unprecedente
r Ig,alc. such currents, called "Htrays
y on "atmospherics," have been occa'
= ionalIy interpreted as signals froi
Mars. when they came with regt
arity that seemed to be directe
-, by a human intelligence, But the
have been shown most unmistal
ably to be connected with sun spot
> Tho prevailing theory IL that the
, explosive uphcayals In the sun sho
4 myrlads OF electrical particles in
! space, occasionally deluging q
- earth with them.
4 Another theory Is that the ma
Z retic fields In sun spots, recent
e discovered hy Dr. George r.. Ila
A at Mount Wilson, do not shower I
A earth with electrons, but produ
v systematic magnetic action In I
4 atmosphere OF the earth. one
!. the strongest objections to the n
10 ory OF Martian signals Us the bel
\. that the enormous constant elect
n cal activity OF the sun would smotf
the best efforts of the men OF Ms