Astronomy for amateurs . ASTRONOMY FOR AMATEURS has often remarked that the hue of the ripe corn, withthe Sun shining on it, is precisely that presented to usby the continents of Mars in the best hours for obser-vation. As to the *seas/* it is pretty certain that there mustbe water, or some kind of Hquid, deriving above all from the meltingof the polarsnows in springand summer; butit may possiblybe in conjunctionwith some vege-tation, aquaticplants, or per-haps vast mea-dows, which ap-pear to us fromhere to be themore consider-able in proportion as the water that nourishes themhas been more ab
Astronomy for amateurs . ASTRONOMY FOR AMATEURS has often remarked that the hue of the ripe corn, withthe Sun shining on it, is precisely that presented to usby the continents of Mars in the best hours for obser-vation. As to the *seas/* it is pretty certain that there mustbe water, or some kind of Hquid, deriving above all from the meltingof the polarsnows in springand summer; butit may possiblybe in conjunctionwith some vege-tation, aquaticplants, or per-haps vast mea-dows, which ap-pear to us fromhere to be themore consider-able in proportion as the water that nourishes themhas been more abundant. Mars, like our globe, is surrounded with a protectiveatmosphere, which retains the rays of the Sun, and mustpreserve a medium temperature favorable to the con-servation of life upon the surface of the planet. But the 138. Fig. 42.—Telescopic aspect of the planetMars (Feb., 1901). THE PLANETS circulation of the water, so important to terrestrial life,whether animal or vegetable, which is effected upon ourplanet by the evaporation of the seas, clouds, winds,rains, wells, rivers and streams, comes about quite dif-ferently on Mars; for, as was remarked above, it is rarelythat any clouds are observed there. Instead of beingVertical, as here, this circulation is horizontal: thewater coming from the source of the polar snows findsits way into the canals and seas, and returns to be con-densed at the poles by a light drift of invisible vaporsdirected from the equator to the poles. There is neverany rain. We have spoken o{ canals. One of the great puzzlesof the Martian world is incontestably the appearanceof straight lines that furrow its surface in all directions,and seem to connect the seas. M. Schiaparelli, thedistinguished Director of the Observatory of Milan,who discovered them in 1877, called them canals
Size: 1594px × 1567px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectastronomy, bookyear19
