The Coconino sun., 1926-04-16

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sitive that~it would measure the heat
of an ordinary candle sixty miles
away. More recently similar results
have been got at Mt Wilson. While
q complete Interpretation Of the re-
suits cannot yet be given it is certain
that they agree and again confirm
| LowelPs early view that the tenn
lperature Of the Martian surface was
much higher than had generally been
previously realized.
These were three vital matters and
| with a fourth--the seasonal change
and behavior of the surface features
were the foundation upon which he
based his important and courageous
conclusion that Mars is indeed an
other world supporting life
He held that water was very scarce
on Mars and that the planets atmos-
phere was much rarer although SINH
lar to ours. There is every reason to
believe that the atmosphere of both
the earth and Mars are slowly es-
| Gaping into space. The reason for
this is that the gases of the atmos-
pheres are composed of molecules
| flying swiftly in all directions and
occasionally molecules will be flying
upward from the planets surface with
sufficient speed to overcome the
planets gravitating pull and when
one of these far out in the outer at
mosphere escapes colliding with all
other molecules it flies away and is
lost from the planet. Now Mars is
smaller and has weaker gravitating
hold on its atmospheric gases than
has the earth and so is losing faster
and has lost more Otis air, than
has the earth. 1t is reasonable to be-
lieve that Mars long ago had as much
air as has the earth now and that the
time will finally come when our air
will be as depleted as is now that of
Mars. But the air depletion goes ON
so slowly that terrestrial and Martian
life would not be aware of the change
but would very gradually develop or
evolve with the slowly changing con-
ditions Of the planets air and climatic
conditions.
This important deduction Of Lo-
wells from the astronomical studies
here has had a far reaching influence
on astronomy, and its human appeal
has brought about a wider popular
interest in Mars than in any other
astronomical subject in modern times
since those dark times when men
without science were terrified, (literal-
ly sometimes frightened to death)
with the appearance of bright comet
in the sl1y-then thought to be sure
portent of bloody war or famine or
pestilence Today, thanks to the
teachings of science, these objects no
longer bring terror to civilized peo-
pies but are now really interestingy
welcomed visitors.
While Percival Lowell is best
known to the world by his outstand-
ing scientific achievements he left his
influence as gifted lecturer and man
of letters. In this connection q quo
tation from the last pages of his book
"The Evolution of Worlds" may be
of interest as indicating something of
his literary powers;
(He has been speaking of the solar
system and the quotation starts with
description Of the coming-out of the
evening stars).
"Then as the half-light deepens,
the universe appears. One by one
the company of heaven stand forth to'
human sight. Venus first in all her
glory brightens amid the dying splen-
dor of the west, growing IN lustre as
her setting fades. From mid-heaven
the moon let's fall a sheen of silvery
light, the ghostly mantle of her ghost
like self, over the silent earth East
ward Jupiter, like some great lantern
of the systems central sweep, swings
upward from the twilight bow to
take possession of the night. Beyond
lies Saturn, or Uranus perchance dim
with distance, measuring still greater
span. All in order in several places
the noble cortege of the sun is ex-
posed to view, seen now against the
immensity of space. Great worlds,
these separate attendants, and yet as
nothings in the void where stare the
silent stars, huge suns themselves
with retlnues unseen, so vast the
distances 'twixt us and them"
The earth is 93,000,000 miles from
the sun. By ordinary experience this
is very great distance but as
astronomical distances go it is small.
For example, the very nearest star
visible to the naked eye at this lati-
tude is the star Sirius (now seen in
the south in the early EVENING" and
even it is 100000 times as far from
us as is the sun. Now, it is interest
ing to picture what our solar system
would look like if we could see it from
such a distance. IF we could go with
our greatest telescopes to the dis
tance of Sirius and observe our sun
it would be only very ordinary star
not as bright as many others in the
sky, and as for the planets, not one
of them could be seen. The earth,
the brilliant Venus, the giant Jupiter
1900 times as large as the earth--all
would be hopelessly too faint and too
near the sun to be seen in our most
powerful instruments. Now the light
analysis of the spectroscope shows
that there are in the universe millions /
of other stars, lie. suns, constituted
chemically and physically just like
our sun, but we with our Instruments
are quite unable to decide whether
they have planets about them because
it is far beyond the power of our
largest telescopes to see planets about I
them if they we're there But would
it not seem a strangely barren uni