The Martian Canals.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIV, Issue 10, 9 March 1910, Page 37

The Martian Canals.

Professor Schiapparelli, the Italian astronomer, who was attached to the observatories of Berlin and Pulkowa, and was director of the Milan observatory from 1860 to 1900, is the discoverer, as is well known, of the “canals” of Mars, the dusky, regular streaks going from sea to sea and connecting lake to lake, the nature of which has been many times discussed. On being shown newspaper reports of the lecture by Professor Maunder, assistant at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, alleging that the so-called canals do not exist, and that their pretended discovery is due to the lack of power of the instruments used by former astronomers. Professor Schiapparelli said that of the real existence of these canallike markings there is no doubt. He discovered them first in 1877, and saw them again many times. Other astronomers during 30 years, using even more perfect telescopes, observed the canals, and took drawings and photographs, which reproduce an identical disposition of the lines. A collective optical illusion on the part of astronomers is impossible; while the photographs cannot be regarded as an illusion. The photographs taken by Professor Hale, even if they do not bear trace’ of the canals, cannot, Profesosr Schiapparelli maiutains.be held as a decisive proof, because it is possible that the negatives were exposed at a moment when Mars was in such a position that the lines, for some optical reason, could not be seen from Mt. Wilson.