PLANET MARS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 August 1924, Page 1

PLANET MARS.

A MI’MD.U lIIXC Til F FAMTTI. Mars, which will lie nearer the earth nil Friday next than at any lime -hue the Dth century, i- not actually our nearest planetary neiohbolir in space, writes an asl rominier in a Mritish journal. A'eims e.n oeva-ioii i-oines a-clo-e a- till.lain.(i:il) miles. Hut on j ||jc - c i i-i a-'"lc. Ibe ib'rl. side ol \ eiitls is turned tiiv.e.rd-' i’\ ami we can see nothin.'.:, while .tiers, at elo.-est ap proacli. i- fully illuminated. Mar- ii on-iiterahly smaller than the earth. Its diameter is about I'ikll leiles, and its volanie le--. than two-tenths of that ol the earth. Like the earth. Mors i- enveloped in an atmosphere of appreciable extent ami deii-ity, but ibis atmosphere is much clearer aiulj thinner than ours. Compared to our cloud-laden planet. Afar- may well be described ils il world, of blue shies and hri"lit siiii-lfine. And this despite the fail that at a 'distance of about Id million miles tarther Irom tin* situ than tin it. receives considerably fellt and heal than we do. The Martian surface has been caret idly -ei'ii t i 111 si ol and charted tor about Jdd veers. The mn-t prominent features of the disc are tile two round white spot- at the north and south poles, which were detected as Ion*: ago as j 7l p. These soot- are observed to. in-crea-e and decrease in accordance with the .Martian sea-rn-. Thus in winter in tie northern lieini-pbere the cap is very ext.-n-ive. A- the -pi'ine comes the cap shrink-, and b\ inidMinmief itj. j| tiae white point. llldc"d. im im.iv than one oeea-ioii it ha- been ob-erved to disapiiea r altogether. Quite ohvioii'ly tltose polar can- are Ue A retie and Antarelie snowlields of our iieiyhboiir world. A- the caps melt there are usually seen surr.mndi„v th'em broad blue belts. Tlie-e are evidently open polar sea-, (oi nied by the meltipv of the snows. A- a mat; ter of fact these temporary bodies of water are the only seas e„ the Martian surface.