The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-08-01
WILL TAKE
MOVIES OF
PLANET MARS
Prof. Todd of Amherst
Making Plans at Ba-
hama Islands

L
| ronomy and navigation at Am
herst College.
Dr. Todd is head of the Mars
! expedition which went to the Ba-
hama islands m the early spring
and established an observatory in
an abandoned fort at Nassau. He
has returned to the United States
his summer in order to secure
new Instruments for use in con-
ncction with his work.
He explains that his studies
now are in preparation for 1924,
which he expects viii be big
wear for astronomers interested in
Mars, and it IS during 1924 that
he hopes to make his moving pic
lures.
an August, 1922, says DR..
Todd, Mars will be nearer the
earth than it has been for 500
years or will be again until the
year 2421. Its maximum opposi-
ton, or distance from the earth, is
G3,000000 miles, its minimum is
! "a, 100000 miles. In August, 1924
Mars, which travels at a rate of Is
miles a second around the sun,
will have for the moment caught
up with the earth, whose rate is
1872 miles per second. Thus Mars,
| the earth and the sun will be in
straight line, with the earth in
between.
Summer will be the best time
Of the year 10 attempt photo
/ graphs from the northern hemi-
sphere, and midnight will be the
time of day. Every night for six
weeks, when the opposition chang
es very little, Mars will swim
through the deld of our telescope.
With luck, the size OF the planet |
on, the negative should be about !
that of a quarter, or at least of a
dime.
"To obtain this film, a special
mirror, slightly concave and |
as big as the drive wheel of a To- |
connective and nearly as thick, will |
be set up at an angle of as de
grees at the base of the telescope. !
which has been specially construc
It weighs tons. The camera,
which has been specially con-
structed, at cost of $4,000, VIII I
be placed at i point some 40 feet |
7above and aimed down at the mir
ror Parallel rays, infinite in num-
Der, pass through the focal point |
and are reflected in the mirror"
said Dr.. Todd.
"The mirror. which | found at
the American University in Wash
ington, was made by a Pennsyl-
vana clergyman, who makes =
hobby Of constructing mirrors.
The concavity is about a quarter
OF an inch ard causes it TO mag
Nifty 800 times. 1t is possible to
have a Pinch mirror which mag
nifies 700 times"
The taking of the pictures DR..
Todd declared a highly expert
mental undertaking from the
point of view of establishing life
in other worlds.
"There are Two main questions
to be solved, he says. First,
whether it is or ever has been in
habited. Climate must be consid-
cred, and the presence or absence
of water, if we are to take life as
meaning life as we know it here
Owe alroadv know that Mars
has n;ohte and DAVIS since if turns
n ,,' on awe '.onni The SIM And
we know tbat It's soasons are
twice as lono as on the earth
Every wear IN Mars has 6S7 davs
instead Of ass lis distance from
tho SIM dul.in~ this vea, varies
,,,oro Wildly Than onrs Tborefore
sontbe,,n sIin,'ners mist he hotter.
and soutborn winters colJo,. tban
IN tho nortbo, bon,isnbero Tho
sunnlv Of diren+ soia1, baat is onlv
oLnpf half u,1at ,yn 1.oceivo 3,
Rns;dos boin% coIda, tbon o,rs
+1,a ot,,,osnLa,o ~. Todd con-
cIndoS go is ,5,noj, roror co tbat when
oii1,,hore Of NJ Evorost ,3net sion
fo,. ianl, of br@atb Il ;s sometime.
or o. s;n,, +ba+ on Mas tbov
corId not hrea+be If ali
M;llions If vn9rs aoo ner-
bo,,s fo,,,, II Iifo NAV have ov-
HIKE; ;''tpd' lVb;Ia he doos rot ro 90 fo,
% ~ dony ,T;tb Wallace thai II
is ,,oss;blo ba is ovt1.on,alv dub;-
~ P NC 70 nresant inbahitants
0'' "tI H. ~ ON wn nosSihlv homo fo,
radio connnnication With Mars
A. bost Al 600 000 n,iles Is too far
a. sond E,on If human beinos
,Toro +horo A. recnivo p,aesaoes
o,,,. sond;na ;ns4,,ln,b n+s arn +no
uu ;a,.o oonnoc+io,, - bo