The Washington times., 1921-10-02


Mysterious ACanals."
@UR neighboring planet Mars has been
an object OF curiosity to man ever
since he began to study the heavens
Science has long been sure, that conditions
on Mars are such that II can support lie.
IT has an atmosphere Ike our own world.
although much thinner It has polar caps
Of snow and ice which melt In the Spring
and Summer and freeze up In Winter.
1t is, perhaps, million and half years,
older than our own globe.
1t has mysterious markings, which many
believe to be canals devised by intelligent
beings to carry the meager water supply
from the melted snow and ice OF the polar
regions for the purposes Of agricultural
irrigation ~ 80 $780, 80
But what kind of creatures and what
kind of civilization exist on this thin
aired, almost waterless and dying worid7
Not even the greatest of telescopes have
been able to tell us this. They cannot bring
Mars down close enough to us to be able
to distinguish anything but the vague mark.
ings which change throughout the seasons
But now Professor David Todd. Of Am
herst. one Of the most distinguished Of
American astronomers, and party of
scientists have conceived an astonishing
plan for bringing Mars so close to earth
that It will apparently be only q mile and
a half away. and those who have the for
tune of looking at It will literally be able
to look into the back yards Of the Martians
themselves--if there are any.
They will take mine In. Chile over one
of whose shafts the planet shines directly
downward during certain times of the year.
This mine they plan to convert into q g.
gantic telescope, 1900 feet deep and so
feet wide!
When the work Is accomplished the as
tronomers believe that we shall know posi-
lively whether the canals Of Mars are iilu-
sions or the work Of Intelligent beings
not necessarily similar in shape to man.
And thus win be- settled the problem Of
whether our world IL the only one--in our
solar system, at least---to be favored with
life. as .#a
This gigantic task OF converting mine
into telescope, equipped with the latest
Photographic and other scientific devices.
will be accomplished before 1894. when
Mars will be closer to the earth than II has
been for a hundred years or win be for
another century. .
To magnify the image of Mars enough
times to bring II within one and ashalf
miles Of the earth Il would be necessary.
to construct q lens fifty feet In diameter
This is six times as large as the Mount
Wilson lens, the largest on earth. By
fifty.foot lens magifcation Of 25,0OOOO0
times could be 0bAined. 80
But the making, Of large telescope
lens is a lengthy, expensive and hazardous
glass of large size involves great difficult
ties, yet when II has been successfully ac-,
,complished the making Of lens mas
merely begun. The huge disc OF crystal
must be carefully and very slowly ground
to the required curvature. r.-> #'
And when all Is finished the glass may
crack or become distorted from its own
weight. It took nine years to make the
1O1.inch lens, Of the Mount Wilson 'tsle.
scope, which weighs four and half tons.
Therefore the astronomers are not,gotng
to use a glass lens. They plan TO use a
ffty.foot magnifying mirror. Nor viii
there be an inch Of glass in the mirror.
Mirrors are simply smooth, shiny sur
faces which stop light waves and reflect
them back to the eye OF the observer.
Glass alone will not act as q mirror; the
light waves pass through It. So the famil.
lar mirror In, daily use Is backed with
mercury, metal which is peculiarly adapt.
ed to rejecting light waves II mercury,
which is fluid, could be held IN. shape, the
glass in our mirrors would not be heces-
sary. - ies~ vi IS. = E
So Professor Todd, to overcome the i'm
practicability Of making d flftyfoot curved
pane OF glass OF the fawlessness necessary
for astronomical purposes, must md some
way Of keeping the mercury Ia the concaye
shape which will reflect the image OF Mars
and magnify Il 25,00o,00o times. The
scheme for overcoming this difficulty,
while not new, 10 perhaps the greatest fea-
ture OF hts astounding attempt 70 plumb
the mysteries AZ the solar systeti.
He plans to MI q metd dish ffty feet In
diameter with mercury, and fevoive u at
such q speed that the mercury, obeying the
law of centrifugal force win rise on the
edges and depress toward It's centre.
This concave mercury mirror, receiving
and throwing back the light waves and
magnifying the reflected image image
will take the place OF the transparent