Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-01
Our Ne;ghbor, Mars


neighbor, Mars, Is carried on across
4 void that appalls the Imagination of
the layman who tries to think of 1t In terms
of miles, and yet Mars is comparatively near.
Sometimes it gets rather close to u.s. as at
present, when its course has brought the
red "star of war" (Which is not star but a
planet) to a trifle Of thirty-fve millions of
miles.
Other heavenly bodies are immensely
farther away. We have this striking illus
tration: The Astronomical Society was
founded century ago. The speediest
method of communication we know anything
about is by light or electricity. both OF
which trave. at approximately one hundred
and eighty-six thousand miles a second that
is, with a speed sufficient to go around the
: world little more than seven times in one
second. Had the news of the founding OF
the Astronomical Society been broadcast
!. from the earth out into the recesses of the
! universe at the rate of electricity or light
or on the waves projected by a super-celes-
tial radio station-it would by this time have
reached only about ten per cent of the stars
visible to the unaided eye; and those COM
: prise mere fraction of the heavenly bodies
known or reasonably suspected to exist.
Thus if we were ar, to communicate with
Mars, our exchange of messages would be
fairly up to date; not so much longer than
terrestrial communication by telegram.
2 Whereas, communication with star Ill the
: constellation AurlSle, LOT Instance, WOulu re-
quire some seventy years, the same time be-
ing needed to receive reply.
This lapse of several generations naturally
would complicate correspondence, as the per-
sons who sent the first message would prob
: ably have passed on to their ultimate reward
long before it was received, and 1t would be
their reat-great-grandchildre who
would get the reply, if any. So Mars is al
most next-door neighbor by comparison.
At that, we have learned nothing by at
tempted communication with Mars, though
a wireless message, If practicable, could
minutes.
In many respects, as calculated by the as
tronomers, Mars is rather similar to the
earth.
It's year is abo-t twice as long as our
own, and its day IS half an hour longer than
ours. Observations lately have shown the
presence of an atmosphere with warer-vapor;
a gratifying bit of news to those who like to
assume on Mars population not totally un-
like our own. The mean temperature has
been calculated below the freezing point
of water, but taking into consideration the
extreme ratification of the Marian atmos-
phere that would near temperature OF
something like forty-eight degrees Fahren-
heit, the temperature of pleasant winter
day on earth.
A winter on Mars, however, lasting from
eight to twelve of our months, would be cold
as we'll as long, the lowest temperature ap-
preaching what we call the absolute zero,'
unknown on the earth even in the polar re-
gions. And the summer days at noon would
e be correspondence warmer; possibly it gets
hot enough on Mars to boil water by the SIM
pie process of exposing it to the direct rays
of the sun.
On Mars the existence of water, a wholly
necessary attribute to life we know it,
is dubious. 'Water-vapor' seems to be
present; put the low atmospheric pressure
and the extremes Of heat and cold make it
probable that the vapor becomes ice and
snow in the winter and passes into aqueous
vapor l. the hotter season with no transition
al stage, which would be liquid water.
It is a stupid limitation to suggest that
there can be no form of life, and intelligent
life at that, possible under these circum-
stances But it seems an unacceptable con-
clusion that Marian life, il there be any, is
of kind outside our own experience, and
taxing to the earthly Imagination.
If you want to read an interesting and
fanciful book dealing with the possibility of
intelligent consciousness on Mars, try "The
War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, which
relates the story of an invasion of the earth
by Martians; strange creatures consisting of
an animated brain that uses various bodies,
constructed of metallic substances, accord
ing to it's activities-this body for fighting;
that for working; another for resting and
recreation.