OBSERVATION OF MARS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23884, 11 August 1939, Page 7

OBSERVATION OF MARS

SYDNEY ASTRONOMERS WATCH SYDNEY, July 29. Astronomers of Sydney, in common with others throughout the southern hemisphere, are taking advantage of the fact that the planet Mars is now nearer the earth than it has been for 30 years to make observations which may help to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the universe—whether life, other than vegetable life can exist on another planet. Mors at present is 36,000,000 miles away from the earth At its maximum distance it is about 60 000.000 miles away. The special aspects oi the surfacj; of Mars under observation are the dark catches, which are now believed to be vegetation, and the networks of streaks or' lines, which some authorities have r-ueaested are canals made under some kind of intelligent direction The New South Wales Government astronomer (Mr James Nangle) said there was certainly vegetable me on Mars. but.whether it was of a low form such’ as mosses or lichens, or whether the dark patches were great forests of trees had not been proved Some notable observers were convinced that the canals were waterways that were not natural because thev, were so straight, Mr Nangle himselt believes that great forests exist on Mars and that the canals were made by intelligent direction. “One of these canals extends in a straight line for 3000 miles, he said. “That certainly does not seem natural to me However, up to the present, there is no direct evidence whatever that there is life on this planet, with the exception of vegetable life. , , , “In many respects the planet Mars is similar to our earth. Its day is nearly the same length as ours, and it has the same sequence of seasons. Mars also has an atmosphere, but of a very low density in whicn we could not breathe, Its force of gravity is much less so that a man who weighs 12st on earth would weigh only 4st in Mars, "Observation shows there, is sufficient atmosphere to contain water vapour and to provide for the circulation of the vapour from the equator to the poles, and its deposition at the poles in the form of snow The water is then returned to the equator either by natural or artificial means. Water, however, must be very scarce on. Mars and it would seem that there is not sufficient to enable life as we know it to be maintained there. In addition, the mean temperature of Mars is much lower than that of earth, because it is so much further away from the sun.