' 
Marcu 7, 1912] 
NATURE 17 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
Brituianr Wuire Spors on Mars.—In No. 10, vol. 
xix., of Popular Astronomy Mr. L. J. Wilson, who 
observes Mars with an 11-inch reflector, cites several 
occasions during October and November, 1911, when 
his observations at Nashville, Tenn., revealed the 
presence of very conspicuous and brilliant white spots 
on the planet’s disc; such spots were seen, on 
October 14, in the region following Hesperia. Com- 
paring his recent observations with those made during 
1909, Mr. Wilson concludes that the frequent forma- 
tion of such spots is an unusual feature of the present 
apparition. 
Cometary PHENOMENA.—A discussion of cometary 
phenomena is published by Prof. Karl Bohlin in an 
abstract from the Naturwissenschaftlichen Rund- 
schau. Prof. Bohlin deals with such matters as the 
orbits, the brightness and structure of the different 
parts of comets, the facts revealed by spectroscopic 
analysis, and the peculiar fluctuations of the form and 
brightness of the tails of various comets. Of general 
interest will be found the tables he gives showing the 
variation of all these features in a large number of 
well-known comets which have appeared since the 
seventeenth century. 
THE ANTARCTIC CAMPAIGN. 
AT the present time it is not unlikely that the south 
4 pole has been reached by both Captain Scott 
and Captain Amundsen, who are leading respectively 
British and Norwegian Antarctic expeditions. The 
accomplishment of this athletic feat is one that the 
public take an intense interest in, and not least of 
all at the present time because there are two com- 
petitors in the polar race, which adds zest from the 
sportsman’s point of view. Any journey in Antarctic 
regions must also add something to our knowledge 
of the Antarctic regions, and any additional know- 
ledge is of scientific value. But the two expeditions 
are of much greater interest to the scientific com- 
munity from the point of view of the work they will 
do outside this journey to the pole, for, so far as the 
polar journey is concerned, Captain Scott intends to 
follow over his own track and Sir Ernest Shackle- 
ton’s, except for the last hundred miles, and Captain 
Amundsen may, after tracking in a south-westerly 
direction across the surface of the Ross Barrier, also 
follow Sir Ernest Shackleton’s track up the Beardmore 
Glacier, and thence to the pole, practically in 
the same line as Captain Scott. The only additional 
topographical information therefore gained by these 
journeys is in the possible track of Amundsen from 
the vicinity of Edward Land to the Beardmore Glacier, 
and the same track that both Scott and Amundsen 
are likely to take over the last hundred miles to the 
pole, which, we fairly well know from Shackleton’s 
observations, must be situated at an altitude of some- 
thing like 1o,ooo ft. on the inland ice of Antarctica. 
We hope that Scott and Amundsen will meet each 
other, and, mutually helping one another, reach the 
pole with honours divided. 
Mr. Mossman reports that great reticence was 
shown by the members of the Norwegian expedition 
while in Buenos Aires with regard to Amundsen’s 
southern journey, but that he was to leave for the 
south not later than September, and that he hoped 
to reach the plateau by another way than the Beard- 
more Glacier. and emerge somewhere in the neigh- 
bourhood of Alexander Land, a region already visited 
by Amundsen on board the Belgica. The accomplish- 
ment of a journey along this route would be not only 
a triumph of physical endurance, and good organisa- 
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tion of food supply and equipment, but would also 
add immensely to our knowledge of Antarctica. 
If the pole is attained by either or both of these 
explorers, the thanks of the scientific world are due 
to them for having once and for all settled the matter, 
and thus helping the public to understand that serious 
south polar exploration is not to reach a certain 
mathematical point before somebody else, but rather 
to carry on systematic investigations within the 
greatest unknown area on the surface of our globe, 
an area that occupies about five and a half million 
square miles—i.e. almost as great as the area of 
Europe and Australia combined. 
It was Scott’s intention to land a party not only at 
McMurdo Sound, but also on Edward Land. After 
Scott and his party were landed at McMurdo Sound, 
Lieutenant Pennell received command of the ship, 
and took Lieutenant Campbell’s party with him, con- 
sisting of six, all told. The party was, however, 
unable to land at Edward Land, ‘‘owing to the per- 
pendicular ice cliffs... This being so, an attempt 
was made to land them ‘‘as far west of Robertson 
Bay as possible,” and make discoveries in that direc- 
tion, but ‘‘from Smith Inlet to Robertson Bay there 
was not a single spot where a party could land—all 
sheer ice cliffs... Campbell and his party therefore 
landed at Cape Adare. After landing the party 
Pennell cruised to the west of Cape North, and dis- 
covered new land westward in two places. In the 
meantime, Scott and his party had finished setting 
up their camp, and Scott had begun a journey to the 
south that was probably preliminary to his great 
effort to reach the pole. Beyond this we have very 
little information, but since the return of the Terra 
Nova to New Zealand we understand that the ship 
was chartered by the New Zealand Government in 
order to carry out some hydrographic operations in 
the vicinity of New Zealand during the winter months. 
These hydrographic observations, made under the 
auspices of the New Zealand Government, are sure 
to be of the greatest possible scientific value; and now 
the Terra Nova has sailed once more for the south, 
and no word will be heard of her for another month 
or so. It is understood, however, that Lieutenant 
Pennell takes news to Captain Scott that sufficient 
funds have been acquired to enable him to stay out 
for another season, so that if reaching the pole is 
disposed of, the expedition should have a most excel- 
lent opportunity of carrying out explorations and 
various observations which will be of the highest 
possible scientific value. 
Amundsen’s party has, according to information 
received, succeeded in landing on the Ross Barrier 
in longitude 162° W., about fifty miles west of Edward 
Land, at a place he has named Bay of Whales. 
The news of the discovery of the Norwegian expedi- 
tion at this point by Lieutenant Pennell came 
as a great surprise to all in Britain, but from the 
scientific point of view it cannot but add to the value 
of Scott’s observations as well as Amundsen’s, and, 
as I have said, from the sportive point of view it adds 
zest. Moreover, every mile Amundsen and his party 
travel over to the east of Beardmore Glacier will be 
new, and any observations taken at the Norwegian 
base station will be entirely new and of great value. 
The Fram, which has carried two successful expedi- 
tions to the Arctic regions, made a long voyage out 
to the Ross Barrier from Madeira without calling at 
any intermediate port, and again from the Ross 
Barrier she made a second extensive voyage without 
calling at any port until she reached Buenos Aires. 
During the past southern winter she has crossed the 
Atlantic twice from Buenos Aires to Africa, and has 
taken observations at sixty stations. In order to 
