STUDENTS OF MARS

Wanganui Chronicle, 30 December 1947, Page 7

STUDENTS OF MARS

WILLIAM HENRY PICKERING (By “Sky Pilot"). William Henry Pickering, a brother to the famous E. C. Pickering, was born on February 15, 1858. Inspired by his brother he spent some of his time on astronomy. Hesitating as to the choice of a vocation, he was finally appointed in 1887 assistant to his brother at Harvard Observatory. Three years later he became professor of astronomy in Harvard College. After some consideration, E. C, Pickering decided to establish a Harvard auxiliary station and in 1887 he sent his brother to Colorado to test climatic conditions. In 1888 W. H. Pickering established a temporary observatory on Mount Wilson, and remained there a year. It was whilst he was engaged at this post that he secured his famous photo of the Orion Nebula which showed the wnole constellation to be wrapped in a nebulous haze.

When Harvard decided to open up in Peru, W. H. Pickering was sent to take over the Harvard auxiliary station at Arequipa, on the slope of the Andes. Here he threw his best into the work. Mars was most favourably situated for observation in 1892 in southern latitudes, and he decided to make the best of the oppori unity. With clear skies and good viewing, Pickering and his assistant, Mr. H. E. Douglass, made the best of their opportunities. They made two discoveries of the highest importance. The first was that of the lakes or "oases" of Mars. Since the shaded areas on Mars were thought to be seas he felt justified in naming the many black dots that he saw "lakes." "Scattered over the surface of the planet," Pickering wrote, "chiefly on the side opposite to the two seas, we have found a large number of minute black points. They occur almost without exception at the junction of the canals with one another, and with the shaded portions of the planet."

The second discovery at Arequipa discredited this view, however. He noticed certain curved branching lines in the dark areas. Some very welldeveloped canals cross the oceans. If these are really water-canals and water-oceans, there would appear to be some incongruity here.” I very much doubt If what are usually known as canals and oceasn contain any water at all! In 1893 returning to the United States he worked in close collaboration with Percival Lowell. He helped Lowell to erect the 18in. telescope and co-operated with him in 1894 in the close observation of the planet. From his observations the polar sea observed by Lowell was a genuine sea of a temporary nature. In 1898 he discovered a ninth satellite of Saturn, the outcome of long search by photography. He called it Phoebe For awhile It was discredited as it could not be viewed telescopically. In 1904 however, he was able to produce sufficient evidence as not only to astound the astronomical world, but to show that it revolved round Saturn in a retrograde direction and that its distance from the planet fluctuated between b million and nearly 10 million miles. William Pickering became also a very great student »of the moon. Whilst he was at Arequipa his observations led him to doubt the accuracy of the view that the moon was a changeless and lifeless world. He decided to make a special study ot the moon and so erected a temporary station near Mandeville, Jamaica. It became a Harvard Auxiliary station, his observtory and home. After 8 months study he wrote a book published in 1903 to show that the moon was not a dead woild at all. He noticed that certain white and grey spots increased and decreased in size with the change of the seasons. He believed that there was vegetation on the moon, springing up, growing and dying. His subsequent observant confirmed his views though most astronomers were and still re main sceptical concerning ‘hem. Mars however, chiefly interested him and hs founded in 1913 an international fellowship of aEtr ° n °, n 'f ,i "The Associated Observers of Mar' , of which he wax head. Since L°weU ‘ death he has been regarded as the principal authority on the planet. He believes the temperature of Mars admits the existence of vegetable Ute. He has never been very definite about the canal system of Mars. His most recent view is that the canals are strips of ground fertilised by showertracks”— aquevus vapour drawn from the melting polar caps and carried by aerial circulation along curved lines. The finer and straighter canals he believes to imply the existence of Intelligent life which may be different ' from our own. His studies of Venus in 1921 led him to conclude that the planet rotated in 68 hours with the axis of rotation lying nearly in the plane of the planet's orbit. He believed In a trans-Neptunian planet. Both he and Lowell observed for Pluto, though it was the result of Lowell'S work that it was discovered. His belief that possibly other planets exist has occupied his time In recent years. I W. H. Pickering certainly ranks as one of the great astronomers and especially as one of the great students of Mars.