THE PLANET MARS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19259, 25 August 1924, Page 7

THE PLANET MARS

IS IT INHABITED? DETAILS OF OBSERVATIONS. “CONFUSED AND SHIFTING SHADOWS.” Press Association —By Telegraph Copyright, LONDON, August 22. Tho Daily Mail’s Jungfrau correspondent says: “After months of concentrated attention on Mara, Professor Schcer is only able to tell a tale of confused, shifting shadows, and bathing patches and points of light.. A most powerful telescope, magnifying times, reveals that the clean-cut canals (in which enthusiastic astronomers once believed) melt into dim, dark patches, the nature of which can only be guessed at. Professor Schcer Las seen the white polar cap contract visibly within the Us. few weeks.—Sydney Sun Cable. REPORTS FROM LTCK OBSERVATORY. TAKING MARS’ TEMPERATURE. NEW YORK, August 22. Lick Observatory had two clear nights in which to view Mars. Photographic plates, sensitive to different colours, were exposed in the hope that through a comparison of tho colour phases found on Mars its secret, regarding the presence ot. In® and vegetation might be revealed. Professor Lampland, of Lowell University, following tesla on Wednesday night." states that he discovered that tho Martian temperatures range up to 50deg. centigrade. No beat emanates from the Martian poles, which appear to be covered with snow until well into tho summer. Tho equatorial regions are warmer than those towards the poles. These conditions were disclosed by Using specially-de signed instruments. They conflict with those obtained by mathematical calculations, and suggest that tho mean temperature, instead of being below freezing point, is probably much above.—Sydney Bun Cable. ' Dr Coblentz, also of Lowell University, expresses the same opinion as Professor Lampland.—Sydney Sun Cable. EVIDENCE OF SEASONAL ACTIVITIES. VANCOUVER, August 22. A message from Flagstaff, Arizona, reports that a formal statement, issued from Lowell Observatory, says; “Many of the observed phenomena ot Mars are similar to those one would expect to seen in corresponding seasonal activities on different parts of our own planet, if viewed from space, as we observe Mars. “The average temperature of Mars is about 48deg Fahrenheit. Such a figure seems to be in reasonable accord with the observed phenomena. The morning side ot the planet was at a lower temperature than the afternoon side, which had oeen longer exposed to the sun’s rays. The dark regions showed higher temperature readings than the light ones, and a gradual rise in temperature was recorded on the surface of the Southerrt Hemisphere, where summer is now advancing. Extensive visual and photographic observations revealed interesting and exteneive cloud phenomena, the melting of tho south polar caps, and widespread changes in the Martian surface, features which' may be seasonal or otherwise.” —Reuter. GREAT EXPECTATIONS. WASHINGTON, August 22. Powerful radio stations, both military and naval, will stand by on Monday to listen in for possible signals from Mars. —Reuter. MARTIAN CANALS. NOT NECESSARILY FOR IRRIGATION. LONDON, August 22. (Received August 24, at 5.5 p.m.) l JTie English astronomer Mr G. H. Hamilton, in a letter from Jamaica, where he has been making observations of Mare, says that there are canals on the planet, his drawings of which The Times reproduces. He adds that ho can understand why the French astronomers failed to detect them, because the position of Mars did not favour observation in northern latitudes. Mr Hamilton deduces from the changes which occur that the Martian polar snow cap melts every morning and reforms in the evening, thus daily irrigating tho canals. The Timos’s leading article points out that this does not mean that the canals were made purposely for irrigation, stili less for agriculture. It is stretching inference to assert that the canals were made and used intelligently, thus inferring that rational beings inhabit the planet.— Tho Times. SYDNEY ASTRONOMER’S RESULTS. SYDNEY', August 24. (Received August 24, at 5.5 p.m.) Mr Gale, astronomer, states that though tho conditions were not favourable for observations of Mars, he obtained some interesting results. Some of the so-calloct canals appeared very clearly. The darkened area surrounding the south polar cap, which is generally believed to be water, was faint and of less extent than a few weeks ago, indicating that the advancing season causes rapid evaporation or transfer of moisture from the polar area. lIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE. MELBOURNE SPIRITUALISTS’ CLAIM. MELBOURNE, August 24. (Received August 24, at 5.5 p.m.) Tho secretary of the Victorian Spiritualists’ Association claims first-hand knowledge of Martian matters, and says that frefjuei: manifestations from Mars and other planets have been received by Spiritualists during recent years. “We have been told,’’he said, “about the conditions of life and so on, and have no doubt that not only Mars, but many other planets arc inhabited.” Ho had hoard of no special message on the present occasion, adding: “We travel in the astral plane, and do not recognise distance. Therefore, it matters not whether it is 34 million or 34 billion miles awav.” THE ARGENTINE LISTENS-IN. A NEGATIVE RESULT. BUENOS AIRES. August 26. (Received August 24, at 5.5 p.m.) Beginning at midnight on Thursday, the Argentine high power station at Monte Grande suspended transmitting for 10 minutes in each hour for four hours, awaiting possible signals from Mars. None came, and if any were sent out from Mars, the officials declare they could not be heard.—Reuter. POSSIBLE SNOW FIELDS. MYSTERIOUS SIGNALS AT NEWARK. NEW YORK, August 23. (Received August 24, at 5.5 p.m.) The immovable dark spots observed on Mars according to the observations from Lowell observatory, are possibly snow. E. C. Slipher, the photographic expert, states that the spots covered an area, ot 10,000 square miles on the bright coloured areas of the planet defined as desert regions by astronomers. A telegram from Newark, New Jersey, says that signals of mysterious origin were received with peculiar frequency by radio operators at the station keeping watch in an endeavour to listen in on Mars. Signals were distinctly heard on a wave length of 25,000 metres. —Reuter,

LOCAL OBSERVATIONS.

ATMOSPHERE UNSTEADY. On Saturday evening a largo ami enthusiastic crowd surrounded the Eoslyn Observatory in the hope of obtaining a view of the planet Mara through the 12inch teles-eope of the Ota go Institute. Tho building is a small one, with a capacity for about only two dozen people. As several hundreds were present, the members of tho Astronomical Committee in attendance were kept busy marshalling in relays the waiting assemblage. The telescope was boot in operation until midnight, and about 150 people were served, but a large number had to be turned away. It was explained, however, that for two or three weeks the planet might be, viewed to good advantage, and that opportunity would be afforded on each suitable Wednesday and Saturday evening for visitors to attend. The sky vv?.s beautifully clear, but a* somewhat unsteady atmosphere affected the visibility. The majority could, however, sea tho'white glint of the south polar enovv cap and the shaded markings on tho disc of the nlanet. Messrs J. C. Begg, E. Christian, and W. D. Anderson explained to visitors how tho circuits of the earth and Mars had brought those bodies so comparatively v\<x«. The phvsieal features of Mars were also discussed, and tho observed markings which had led to theores of life on the planet. During the present period tha sun, shining, ;is it were, from behind us, showed tho face of Mars as a full round disc. A Martian, on the other hand, would see tho dark side of the earth against the region of the sun, and therefore our globe would be invisible to him until a certain angulardistance caused a thin crescent of sunlight like the new moon to appear on tho rim when tho sun was just below the horiozn.