The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-02-21
Today Science
BY DAVID DIETZ-

TT is extremely doubtful that astronomers in gen.
1 ersl will show much sympathy for the theory
put forward by William Clifford Hale, Seattle wash
in the Journal of the Royal Astronomical society OF
Canada that there Is the poSSloihty OF lie OA 'i'
planet Mercury.
For ingenius as is Mr. Hales theory, it apparently
overlooks one very important fact. namely that the
planet Mercury in all probability has no Atmosphere
Thus for example. have the statement OF Dr.
Walter s Adams. director OF the Mt. wilson Cd
servatory. who has done the most important WORK
in the field of planetary atmospheres during the past
two years. He writes:
some planets are too small to have retained
an atmosphere and We find that Mercury and prob
ably Pluto satellites like moon, and all the minor
planets have no atmosphere at ALL
Our own moon Is known quite detnitely 10 nave
no atmosphere.
\ MATHEMATICAL calculations show that our
vi moon. which has diameter of 216S miles. does
not exercise sufficient gravitational pull to hang on
to an atmosphere.
Mercury IS only slightly larger than our moon,
having diameter Of about 800 miles
There is also fairly direct evidence that Mercury
has no ATMOSPHERE This comes from comparisons
of transits of Mercury and Venus. transit occurs
when the planet passes directly between US and the
sun. The planet is then seen against the bright
background OF the sun
When a transit Of Venus begins. the planet is seen
to be surrounded by ring Of light due TO refractlon
OF the suns rays by the atmosphere OF the planet
But this is not the when Mercury transits the
disk Of the sun.
Mercury Is seen as round black spot with per-
fectly sharp margins ike those OF our own moon
during eclipse
AS result. there seems little justification IN sup
poSing that Mercury has enough atmosphere TO sup
port life In fact there seems little reason for sup
posing that 1t has any atmosphere at all
MERCURY IS the closest to the sun of all the
wi planets. II revolves around the sun in So
DAYS ard turns on its axis in the same time. AS a
result il always keeps the same face toward the sun
The side turned toward the sun has a temperature
of about 600 degrees about the temperature Of
melted lead. The other side has temperature
equal TO that Of empty space. about 459 degrees be-
low zero
But like the moon Mercury has slight oscillation
known as Iteration Because OF this swing, little
Of the dark side swings into sunlight for a few
weeks and then out Of the sunlight again for few
weeks.
Consequently. there is a narrow zone between
the lighted side and the dark side which alternately
swings in and out Of the sunlight Nj Hales theory
is 70 the effect that this border land" may be
inhabited
Here. he says. there would be alternately day
and night even though each were few weeks long
He thinks IL reasonable TO suppose that in them the
temperature might represent compromise between
the very hot side and the very cold side
However. the whole theory hinges upon the exist
ence OF an atmosphere. And even If there were one
the hot side Of planet would set up such atmospheric
currents would destroy any existing life in per.
petual hurricane,