THE PLANET MARS 

 PART II 



By JAMES H. WORTHINGTON 



In the preceding article, I have explained the precautions that 

 are taken in observing this planet and have drawn attention to 

 various considerations which justify students of its features 

 in attaching reality to their observations, as well as in feeling 

 assured of the correctness of the arguments which they venture 

 to use. 



The account is not complete nor can it be, as the subject is 

 one that is being developed almost daily ; but sufficient has been 

 said to illustrate the methods peculiar to the investigation. 



The appearance of Mars in the telescope at Flagstaff, when 

 conditions are favourable and due precautions are taken to 

 stop down the instrument and to insert appropriate dark 

 glasses, is a most surprising revelation. The telescope presents 

 us with a disc of about five times the apparent diameter of 

 the full moon as seen by the naked eye : brilliantly lighted, it 

 shines with well-defined, delicately tinted patches of colour. 



The snow cap is seen at the pole. Farther down the disc, 

 areas appear of a greenish-blue colour in which is visible a 

 wealth of minute stippled detail — too fine to be called features 

 but coarse enough to produce the impression of variation in 

 texture. These green areas are very clearly defined at their 

 edges and the better they are seen, the more clear-cut do they 

 appear to be. In addition to the green areas, there are ruddy 

 ochreous stretches extending over five-eighths of the surface of 

 the planet. 



Thus far nothing new or startling is seen. But when, during 

 a few brief moments, the definition becomes perfect — and such 

 moments are infrequent — an amazing network of very fine lines, 

 arranged criss-cross-wise in perfect geometric fashion, is appar- 

 ent. These lines occur in all latitudes, alike over green and 



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