MYSTERY OF MARS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19258, 23 August 1924, Page 9

MYSTERY OF MARS

IS IT INHABITED? ■ v •> THE WIRELESS EXPERIMENTS, ,7/i. Press Association —By Telegraph.—Copyright NEW YORK, August 2L The Lowell Observatory announces B tremendous growth of two dark areas neaaf t 6 the equator of Mars which a month, ago were comparatively faint. These regwnftrj were in the rear of the planet until, re-.! i 1 cently, and therefore they were not able to bo entirely observed, bait they have now swung into a wider view, presenting graphic evidence of the expansion that, lias taken place since the spring season. , began in the Martian Southern Hemisphere. They are faint bine-green, and:' ; ; might be an expanse of Scientically these regions of Miara known as Maro Cimmerium and Mare'-i-Rirenum, and they were named beforis. waa concluded that Mars probably has, y; neither seas nor oceans. The regions nearly 400 miles wide, and stretch across nearly the entire disc of the planet. They probably comprise 1,000,000 square . miles. Since they were first noted earlier v this year the planet’s tilting on its axis ; has brought them almost directly under . r: the sun’s rays. On the earth this action- , causes seasonal changes, bringing growth of vegetation and melting the polar's snow-caps. Assuming that this is what.u; is occurring on Mars, then the southern polar snows may be slowly disappearing, there. ' ~-a In accordance with the suggestion of the astronomer Professor Todd, of An-. herst, all the American radios will listen ■*. for messages from 'Mars between now and"”'; the week-end; also hundreds of thousands of radio sets thronghfout America and England will be silent during five-minute periods, starting on Thursday, at mid- yi night, until Saturday, at noon. ' * Professor Todd declared: ‘‘Without doubt Mars was inhabited in the past by- . rational beings, so why not try to stretch h. hands across the ether? If the Martians ever make attempts to communicate with us now is the logical time to expect it. My scheme cannot do any harm, and something might really come of it.” When the air is steady Professor , Slipher, a photographic expert and , h tronomer, wul capture the planet’s appear-., ;; ance on very sensitive photographie plates.—Sydney Sun Cable. •■f SYDNEY OBSERVERS DISAP- ‘ POINTED. ~3 SYDNEY, August 22. (Received August 22, at 8.35 p.m.) ’ Astronomers were disappointed in their hopes of having a clear view of Mars at : close quarters. The weather waa too y cloudy for a good view, and the Observatory staff reports that nothing of note rewarded their vigil. PARLIAMENT ADJOURNS, ’ TO LOOK AT MAES. (Feom Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 22. 'l'After making somewhat slow progress \ with the Estimates to-day, during which '-' there was a good deal of vote-catching talk, ; the House of Representatives at 9.4-5 p.m. ■■s adjourned to enable members to visit theGovernment Observatory at Kelburn to look'at Mars through the Sin telescope. New j' l Zealand seems to have put up another ; record. Probably it is the first time in ’ th© history of this world that a Parliament has adjourned to look at Mars.