MYSTERIES OF MARS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 147, 23 June 1924, Page 13

MYSTERIES OF MARS.

ASTRONOMERS TO PROBE THEM. PROBLEM OF THE CANALS. APPROACH OF EAKTH'S NEIGHBOUR. ff our planetary friends, the Martians, at all self-conscious, they will be worried next August. From many different observatories on earth telescopes will be pointed at them. Human astronomers will be peering at their home' in space hour after hour—photo- ' aphing, measuring, drawing. Everything possible, in fact, will be done to olve the mysteries of Mars, which have for so long" fascinated and puzzled our scientists, and provided writers of romance with delightful fields for speculation. , . ~ For Mars is approaching the earth. In Au<nist it will be nearer tcus than it has-been for a century—a mere trifle o f some 30.000.000 miles or so. Astronomers are hoping to throw new light on the oft-repeated questions, "Is Mars inhabited ?'' "Are the mysterious marks on the planet canals or—what?" As long ago as 1577 Schiaparelli first noticed "these remarkable series of straight lines that'form a network on its surface. They seemed to link up the darker portions of the planet, usually considered to be patches of water; a nd when closely examined their mathematical regularity suggested at once to the observer that only thinking beings, eouipped with vast engineering skill, could be responsible for their appearance. , , Seen even through a most powerful telescope, these lines arc extremely fine. But it has been estimated that the narrowest of them must be at least" a mile in width; and others are probably ten miles across, while in length they may be anything from three to four thousand miles. In many cases, too, the lines run m parallel pairs, their appearance suggestjn<r that they have an artificial origin. Their discoverer gave them the name of canals, or channels, and controversy reeardinp them has raged ever since. To the magnificently equipped Lowell Observatory in Arizona we are chiefly indebted for our present knowledge -of this mysterious red planet. Thanks to observations made there, no ' fewer than 555 of the strange canals had » teen counted by 1910. Wherever they intersected, small, dark spots were noticed. Sometimes, too, a particular canal would disappear, or would thicken and become more visible. -So marked was the phenomenon that it was even suggested that Martian invhabitants were using come titanic ■. method of signalling to- the earth—in some unknown code! But some astronomers have doubted the existence of the finer canals, though the plainer markings have actually been photographed. What these "canals" really are, how- " ever, has yet to be established. Professoi Lowell advanced the theory that they might be vast irrigation channels carrying to every part of a parched planet, the water produced by the annual melt- : ; ing of the polar snows and ice. Mars is a chilly planet. And the apparent ice deposits at the poles can be seen in the form of white caps, which contract in the latter half of the Martian year, when the sun shines on them, Professor Lowell suggested that while the irrigating channels themselves are too > small for us to see, the dark line of : flourishing vegetation along the-course of each would be visible, giving the appearance of an ordered network of lines such as is seen through the telescope. There -are ,of course, critics of this fascinating theory which, if correct can only mean that Mars is really inhabited by -beings : of intellect and skill, struggling to maintain life. It has been urged, for instance., i-hat •i the mystery lines are in the nature of cracks formed by the contraction of the outer crust of the planet. But no satisfactory explanation has been advanced as to why, in that case, the lines should be-so straight. ! Can we send signale to Mars? Are the Martians endeavouring to communi- ' cafe across spare with us? These questions have been asked many time. I'ro- ■ fessor Pickering suggested that huge mirrors, used as heliographs, might be used to-flash sun-signals from the earth that ■would 'be visible to watching Martian astronomers —presuming that there are astronomers there to watch! '■ ■ ' Even if Mars is inhabited. , it would not be by beings like ourselves. The effect of gravity there would be .o little felt that a human being could lift a weight eighty-three times heavier than his maximum lift on earth; further j more the Martian climate and atmos- ' ])here*are certainly very different from ( our own. | Mr. H. G. Wells, in one of his romances, has pictured the Martian as a ' brainy being, something like an octopus in appearance! A French scientist imagined him as a huge being with enormous nose and oars, no neck or waist, ( and very thin legs. ! - Others again have said there are no Martians. Whether or not the astronomers will throw any more light on the mysteries of Mars in August remains to !he seen. But certainly the results of • their operation will be awaited with interest by a-curious earth. . • I NOW TO RELIEVE YOUR RHEUMATISM. Barraclough's Magic Nervine stops Toothache, 1/6. j Progandra cures corns quickly. 1/6. You will never drive out the cause of rheumatic pains by the external applica- j tion of embrocations. And unless you , eliminate the cause of rheumatism you can never get permanent relief. All . pains of Rheumatism, Lumbago, Gout, i etc., are caused by an excess of uric acid in the system. If you can neutralise and dispel this acid your pains will, cease, swelling will disappear, and you j will regain your old freedom of action. I RHEUMO taken internally goes right to | the scat of the trouble, i,e., it attacks j the excess uric acid, neutralises it, and seldom fails to give relief almost immediately. Price 4/0, from all Chemists. Test it.—(Ad.) 17 °