Will the Dawn of the New Century Open Communication Between Mars and the Earth?

MARY PROCTOR DESCRIBES AND DISCUSSES THE VARIOUS PLANS SUGGESTED FOR EXCHANGING SIGNALS WITH THE MARTIANS, WHOSE PLANET WILL BE IN OPPOSITION TO THE EARTH ON FEBRUARY 22 AND ONLY 63,500,000 MILES AWAY.

A few days ago a startling announcement was made to the effect that Professor A. E. Douglass, of the Flagstaff observatory, Arizona, had received a message from Mars. The European edition of the Herald declared that a notice of the event had been received by the Central Astronomical Bureau at Kiel, under the signature of Professor E. C. Pickering, director of the Harvard Observatory, Cambridge, Mass.

The Bureau of Kiel transmitted it to all the observatories all over the world, and it was reproduced in the astronomical bulletin of “Nature” and also recorded in the “Astronomische Nachrichten.” Upon investigation it appears that the report originated from the following telegram, received on December 8, from the Flagstaff observatory: —

“Mr. A. E. Douglass, while observing the planet Mars on December 7, saw a projection on the north edge of Icarum Mare, which lasted seventy minutes.”

The report stated that Mr. Douglass suddenly saw a series of bright lights appear on a straight line extending over several hundred kilometres. For an hour and ten minutes these gigantic fires burned without interruption, and then disappeared as rapidly as they had come.

“From observation we know,” says M. de Fouville, in the European edition of the Herald, “that light never proceeds geometrically. This rectilinear disposition seems to indicate a voluntary action. The appearance and disappearance of these lights at the same time increases this conviction.” Therefore he concludes that the bright lights observed by Mr. Douglass are signals from the supposed inhabitants of Mars.

Be on the Lookout.

We are advised to be on the lookout for more signals, since the planet is rapidly approaching opposition, when it will be only 63,500,000 miles distant. This will occur February 22, about one A. M., and is unfortunately not one of the favorable oppositions when the distance of Mars from the earth is but 35,000,000 miles. However, we are urged to take advantage even of this unfavorable opportunity, since, “if the inhabitants of Mars really lighted those fires, it is indispensable to let them know that we understand the message, and that we count on their intelligence in understanding some special alphabet we may invent for their benefit.”

We can see in imagination the imaginary inhabitants of Mars straining their eyes or turning their telescopes in the direction of our planet, in the vain hope of seeing some signal in response to their greeting at the beginning of the new century, and we wonder what novel scheme will occur to the fertile brain of some imaginative mortal on this momentous occasion.

Apparently the Martians have not yet lost hope of attracting our attention, for at the opposition in 1894 there were vague reports in circulation on planet earth with regard to certain bright lights which had been observed on the surface of Mars, and it was suggested that these were flash light signals from the planet. The probability is that these bright lights were icebergs tilted in such a way that they reflected more directly the light of the sun. That is, unless we accept the theory advanced by Professor Johnstone Stoney, according to which the ice patches on Mars are not frozen water, but frozen carbonic acid.

Schemes for Signaling Mars.

Many and varied have been the schemes for signaling Mars, principally by means of electric lights or the arrangement of geometric figures upon the surface of the earth.

At the opposition in 1894 it was announced that Mr. Edison proposed constructing a huge phonograph by the use of a magnetic iron mountain in New Jersey, with which he intended recording the sayings of the inhabitants of Mars. However, in all justice to Mr. Edison, it must be admitted that as no authority was given for the above statement, its veracity may be justly doubted.

About the same time the following suggestion was made by Mr. Frank H. Norton, in an article appearing over his signature in the Illustrated American for June 9, 1894: —

“It will be remembered that in 1891 a legacy was left by Mme. Guzman and confided to the Institute of France in the sum of 100,000f., ‘to be given to any person of any nationality who within ten years from that time should discover a means of communicating with a star or planet and receive a reply.’ Now, without any special anxiety with regard to the destination of this large prize, but rather for the purpose of keeping the subject before the public, I am going to suggest a earth is pretty well lighted up at night as it is, we should choose some place upon it which is peculiar by being always in darkness, so far as artificial light is concerned. It should be, also, a place easily made highly luminous; it should be at some point on the earth peculiar to itself for some reason easily discoverable by intelligent minds, and if possible, it should respond to some point on the Martian surface having prominence of its own.

Light up the Pyramid.

All these conditions, according to Mr. Norton, seem to be confirmed by only one spot on the whole surface of the earth. That spot is in the neighborhood of the Great Pyramid of Ghizeh, and after pointing out all its possibilities, Mr. Norton suggests that permission be obtained to run a line of Edison incandescent lights up each angle of the Great Pyramid from base to apex, and the signal is complete. Supposing the combined illumination insufficient, then light up all the other eight pyramids of the Ghizeh group and see how that will work. Apparently the necessary permission was not obtained, or the scheme did not work. At any rate no information has been received as to the results, successful or otherwise, of this unique method of signaling Mars.

Flammarion suggested the construction of a gigantic electrical display, geometrically designed, with a vast plain as the background. At the present time he advocates the scheme advanced by Dr. Schmall for sending a message to Mars. The latter is of the opinion that outlining certain well known groups of stars, such as the Great Dipper or Orion, might possibly attract the attention of the people on Mars, and, taking it for granted that they notice these signals, it is expected that they will reply in like manner.

Vast possibilities occur to us, as we see a new and elaborate celestial alphabet constructed by means of the constellations, forming an introduction, as it were, by slow and sure methods to our friends on the neighboring planet. Should communication thus be established between Mars and the earth, the new century would then, indeed, prove a marvelous period in our planet’s history.

Tesla Hopes to Converse with the Martians.

Supposing even the above laudable attempts should prove a failure in signaling Mars, Nikola Tesla is hopeful of possible success in communicating with Mars by means of certain ingenious electrical devices. In his recent experiments in atmospheric electricity he assures us that he has obtained results which he believes will make communication with Mars a fact. Scientists, it is true, doubt his theory, but in his reply to possible means for such communication.

“It is only reasonable to suppose that the exhibition of an unusual light would occur to any intelligent being as the best means for attracting attention at night; and, of course, the Martian people know very well that night is the only time when their planet is visible at all from the earth, and the period of their opposition to the sun the only time when the surface of their planet can be thoroughly and closely observed.

“They would therefore choose night and light for their purpose of attracting the attention of the people on the earth. It follows that the simplest method by which to reply to this supposed signaling, and to attract their attention, would be the same employed by them, to wit, night and light. But as this his critics Mr. Tesla affirms that he has not the slightest doubt, judging from his experiments and measurements, that it is within the bounds of possibility to convey a message to Mars.

“With a properly constructed oscillator an amount of energy can be transmitted to such a planet as Venus or Mars, even at their greatest distance, sufficient to bring into action a sensitive instrument such as I have been using in my own observations. Furthermore, it is an error to believe that a great expenditure of power is necessary for interplanetary communication. What is needed is an effect specifically great — an enormous rate of energy delivery, but lasting each time only a fraction of a second, so that the total used up is small. Now, with my oscillator I can make this rate equal to five million horse power and more, if necessary, and my calculations show that a small fraction of this rate is amply sufficient for conveying a message to Mars.”

Thus we witness, at the beginning of the new century, a revival of the theory as to the possibility of communicating with the people on Mars, taking it for granted that the planet is inhabited, the one being as great a problem as the other. Nikola Tesla expresses a hope that the people on Mars may be as intelligent as we are. If not more, so. If they are, we can feel assured that they are not wasting their time trying to signal to the people on planet Earth by means of electricity or otherwise, for they are probably not even aware of our existence.

It seems difficult to realize the fact that, seen from Mars, our planet presents very nearly the appearance Venus presents to us, the latter being, earth’s twin sister as regards size, density and general constitution. However, Venus, being nearer the sun, receives about twice as much light and is consequently brighter than the earth, but when in the zenith of her glory and nearest to the earth, she is unfortunately between us and the sun, so that the illumined side is turned away from us.

On the other hand, it comes nearer the earth than any other planet (excepting the newly discovered planetoid Eros), its nearest approach being about twenty-six million miles. The nearest approach of Mars to our planet is a little over thirty-five million miles at a favorable opposition, and sixty-three million five hundred miles at an unfavorable opposition, as in the present instance. Consequently the splendor of our planet as seen from Mars is less than that of Venus seen by us. Why, then, should the supposed inhabitants of Mars be desirous of communicating with our planet? Judged from their standpoint, the vast amount of space on our planet covered by the great oceans, and the ever changing masses of cloud, probably suggest as great problems to the inhabitants of Mars as to whether our planet is a desirable world to live on as are suggested to us by the atmospheric peculiarities of their own planet.

A Few Facts About Mars.

Flammarion and Lowell, in considering the habitability of Mars, have seemingly overlooked the serious difficulty regarding the very low temperature of the planet; and, according to Professor C. A. Young, the low density of the atmosphere of Mars is probably less at the planet’s surface than on the tops of our highest mountains. This would naturally assist to keep down the temperature to a point far below the freezing point of water. Added to this, Mars receives but one-half the amount of light and heat we are accustomed to here, owing to its greater distance from the sun. Consequently, intense cold must prevail on the surface of the planet unless it is provided with some external or internal means of heat as yet unknown to us.

Yet for some reason a milder climate apparently prevails on the planet than would seem possible under the circumstances. The year lasts six hundred and eighty seven days, and the seasons are nearly twice as long as here. During the long winter season a great mass of snow and ice collects at the polar regions. At any rate, the polar caps of Mars really seem to be masses of ice deposited from vapor in the planet’s atmosphere, and it appears as if the ice melted during the Martian summer.

By this means an immense quantity of water is set free, the polar seas overflow, and as a result the land is submerged as far as the tropics. At the same time “canals” begin to make their appearance as faint dark lines, growing wider and wider, until they are about fifty miles across, and then by way of variety they double, very often within the short interval of twenty-four hours. The twin canals run side by side like railroad tracks, only in this instance the tracks are often separated by a distance of two or three hundred miles.

At the junction of the canals round spots have been observed, termed “oases” by Mr. Lowell and “lakes” by the Milanese astronomer Schiaparelli. Their average diameter is about one hundred and thirty miles, but the largest of all, known as the “Lake of the Sun,” is three hundred miles broad, and a little over five hundred miles long. If we accepted the theory that the canals were made by the inhabitants of Mars, and that merchandise was, or is, conveyed by means of these canals to all parts of that distant world, then the “Lake of Mars” would seem to be the place where we might suppose Martian merchants most do congregate.

May be Oases.

The idea, however, that the round spots are oases rather than canals has been more generally accepted since these spots have been observed to darken as the spots increase in size, showing the advance of the season and the possible growth of vegetation on their surface. This would seem to indicate that the canals and oases are of artificial construction and may have been the work in ages past of intelligent beings who once peopled this planet.

When we recall the fact that the planet is subject to yearly inundations, devastating large tracts of land, then if Mars ever was an inhabited world, canals must have proved an obvious necessity. In fact, it has been suggested by such authorities as Flammarion and Mr. Lowell, of the Flagstaff observatory, Arizona, that the canal system of Mars is undoubtedly the work of the inhabitants of Mars.

These canals are said to surpass any of the great works of a similar kind carried out by the orders of the emperors of China or the kings of Egypt. According to a calculation made some years ago by Mr. J. Orr, of the British Astronomical Association, it would require an army of two hundred thousand men, working for one thousand years, to construct the canal system now outlined on Mars. Nevertheless, owing to the lessened force of gravity on this planet, the men might attain a strength and stature greater than ours without being burdened by their own weight, and dealing as they would have to with material only a little more than a third as heavy as here, their work would be greatly more effective.

If we could be transplanted to the planet Mars we would be surprised at the difference in the weight of objects in that little world. The smaller the mass of a planet the smaller its attractive power. An object that would weigh one hundred pounds on the earth would weigh only thirty-eight pounds on Mars. Professor Young tells us that “a man who here weighs 160 pounds would weigh only sixty pounds on Mars. If we were able to jump to a height of five feet on the earth he could jump thirteen feet there with the greatest ease. So far as this condition goes a Martian elephant might be as agile as a terrestrial deer.”

Mars is considerably smaller than the earth, being only 4,200 miles in diameter, while the earth is 7,918. If the substance in the earth were made into seven balls, each ball would be as large as the planet Mars, its volume being only one-seventh that of the earth. Could Mars and the earth be weighed in a gigantic pair of scales, it would take nine globes weighing as much as Mars to make the scales even, the mass of Mars being one-ninth that of the earth.

It seems strange that we are able to tell the weight of a planet millions of miles distant, but the power of attraction exerted by Mars on its two little moons gives the secret away. Knowing the size of the moons of Mars, and the attractive power that must be exerted by Mars to keep them from wandering away from his guardianship, we can tell how great is that power and the mass or quantity of matter the planet contains. The weight of a body is the force with which it is attracted by the mass of a planet.

If a baseball club could journey to Mars, and, despite the atmospheric peculiarities of the planet, play a game, the distinction between mass and weight would be very forcibly illustrated. The ball would be drawn toward Mars by only one-third the force that the earth draws it, and it would be nearly as light as a rubber ball. It would stay long in the air when batted and home runs would be made all the time.

What Are Martians Like?

If the planet Mars ever has been or is inhabited it must be by a race of beings not constituted as we are. According to Professor Young, “If intelligent beings exist there the probabilities are strong that they are very different from us in ways which we can hardly conjecture, since the difference between the earth and Mars in physical conditions must almost necessarily have determined different lines of development on the two planets. It may be said with confidence, however, that on Mars the conditions, different as they must be from our own, are still more nearly earth-like than on any other of the heavenly bodies which we can see with our present telescopes.”

As to the so called signals from Mars, the same authority assures us “that there is not the slightest probability that with any instrument we now possess we could distinguish any signals they could make. And, supposing they could, who would be able to read their meaning?”

In regard to the revival of interest in plans for signaling Mars, it is rather curious to note that the time has about expired for the bestowal of the legacy left by Mme. Guzman. Not long ago a notice appeared in a scientific journal to the effect that the money had reverted to the French Institute.