HAPPENINGS IN MARS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 90, 13 October 1923, Page 14

HAPPENINGS IN MARS

NOT A DEAD WORLD.

Mars appears to be far from a dead world, declares a writer in the " Daily Mail" in summarising the opinions of Mr. P. M. Ryves, an astronomer who has been watching the planet from Teneriffe, at a. height of some 8000 feet. Whether it is inhabited by intelligent beings like ourselves is perhaps the most absorbing question that confronts the human race* .

Mars is changing and shows marked changes. Some of those observed at Teneriffe are: The dark marking called Syrtis Major, or Hour-Glass Sea, from its shape, which is more familiar to man than any object in the planetary map, has developed'an appendage. It has a tumour on its side, entirely altering its appearance and giving it a nearly square shape. In 1909 there was no vestige of this. In the period of fourteen years more than 100,000 square miles of country formerly characterised by the pale yellow tint of the bright " desert "regions has changed to an obscure dusky brown.

Of the so-called " lakes," some have been unsually and persistently ■ dark during the past few months, especially Lacus Solis, which a few years ago had become almost invisible. It now shows up as an intensely dark spot, about 400 miles across.

Some of the " canals " have changed distinctly, and there have been curious developments. A fairly broad " canal " was detected running down the 140 th merdidian. This is either new or a reappearance of the " Canal " Aethiops which had faded away. Most of the " canals " are fairly broad, straight, or curved streaks. Some are dark and quite prominent; others more hazy and difficult to make out.

The Teneriffe sketches do not show a vast and complicated network, such as Professor Lowell thought he had observed. But there are indications that the canals " are really there. In one case an apparent increase in the intensity of a " canal " was observed in the space of just over a month.

Brilliant, small patches of a pale yellow were made out, and pink patches in the 'deserts." The colours may be of volcanic origin, as at Teneriffe deposits of pumice stone stand out yellow-white on red scoria. Something resembling hoar frost or snow was seen in the lower latitudes of Mars, fading away on the morning edge, so that there are indications of hoar frost or possibly frozen gas there.