” Many people interpreted the word to mean that there were artificial canals on Mars. In Italian canali can mean either “channels ” or “canals. Schiaparelli said he saw straight lines on the Martian surface and called them canali. Schiaparelli ’s naming system relied on place names taken from the Bible and ancient mythology. He created some of the first maps of the planet and assigned names to prominent features. The controversy was sparked by the observations of the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910). GIOVANNI SCHIAPARELLIĭuring the late 1800s Mars became the topic of a debate that would go on for decades. In 1774 the English astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822) speculated that Martians lived on a world much like Earth, with oceans on the surface and clouds flying overhead. It was commonly believed that Mars was inhabited by some kind of beings. They could see that the spots changed in size over time, but they did not guess that these were polar ice caps. The same conclusion was reached independently by the French astronomer Giovanni Cas-sini (1625-1712).ĭuring the 1700s astronomers performed more detailed observations of the light and dark patches on Mars, particularly the whitish spots at the north and south poles. Huygens kept an eye on the location of the sea over time and determined that the Martian day lasts about twenty-four hours. In 1659 the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) recorded his Mars observations and noticed an odd-shaped feature that came to be called the hourglass sea. Others believed that they represented contrasting areas of land and sea. Some people thought these were patches of vegetation changing in response to the changing seasons. His observations helped him to develop the laws of planetary motion for which he would become famous.Īs telescopes improved, astronomers reported seeing dark and light patches on Mars that also varied in size over time. During the seventeenth century Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) studied Mars ’s movement for years. He believed that its distance from Earth was changing over time. He noticed that sometimes it appeared larger than at other times. The Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was probably the first to see Mars through a telescope. Finally, there would be some life on Mars. These are great challenges, but the idea is tantalizing -humans standing on another planet. The United States will need new rockets and spacecraft and some clever ways to keep astronauts healthy and happy on such a long journey. Bush (1946 –) proposed that astronauts travel to Mars and explore the planet. Scientists continue to send probes to search for water and life. Where there is water, there is the potential for life similar to that found on Earth. There was some water vapor in the atmosphere and some frozen water at the planet ’s poles. Neither canals nor Martians could be located. These probes found a frozen wasteland of fine powdery dust. The notion lingered for decades in the public imagination.Īt the dawn of the space age, humans sent robotic probes to Mars to settle the question once and for all. To some, these were evidence of water canals dug into the ground by hard-working Martians. Patterns of straight lines could be seen on the surface. Once telescopes were invented, people had a better view of the planet, but many still thought it was inhabited. They believed that it was stained with the blood of fallen warriors. Ancient people could see Mars as a pale reddish light in the nighttime sky. People on Earth have always been fascinated with the idea of life on Mars. The atmosphere is nearly all carbon dioxide. Rays of ultraviolet radiation beat down on the surface continuously. The average temperature is –64 degrees Fahrenheit. Mars is also known as the Red Planet, because it looks reddish from Earth. It is named after the mythical god of war whom the Romans called Mars and the Greeks called Ares. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the planet most like Earth in the solar system. Even though much is known about it, there is still much more to learn. Mars has been a mystery to humans for thousands of years. Carl Sagan, “Mars: A New World to Explore ” (December 1967) Mars moves through our skies in its stately dance, distant and enigmatic, a world awaiting exploration.
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