Abstract
CHANGES OBSERVED ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.—In the July number of the Bulletin Astronomique M. Perrotin gives a detailed account of his observations of Schiaparelli's “Canals” made during the months of April and May of the present year (NATURE. June 3, p. 110), remarking that their appearance differs little from that observed in the Milan astronomer's chart drawn in 1882, and that these markings appear to indicate the existence of a state of things, in the equatorial regions of the planet, which, if not absolutely permanent, at all events give evidence of considerable stability. But during the progress of the Nice observations of the “canals,” some changes were noticed in the neighbourhood of the Kaiser Sea (Schiaparelli's Syrtis Major), which M. Perrotin has thought it worth while to put on record. During the earlier observations this part of the planet's surface was dark, like all the Martial “seas,” and as it is represented in the chart. On May 21, however, the part of Syrtis Major extending from 10° to 55° of north latitude was seen to be covered with a luminous cloud forming regular and parallel bands, stretching from north-west to south-east on the surface, in colour somewhat similar to that of the continents, but not quite so bright. On the 22nd these cloud-like structures were more uniformly distributed than on the previous day; they were also seen on the three following days, but were noted to be of considerably diminished intensity. On May 25 the Nice observers noted the visibility of the isthmus which is placed in Schiaparelli's chart on the prolongation of Syrtis Major, below its junction with Nilus, in longitude 300° and north latitude 52°, and which had not hitherto been seen by them. M. Perrotin thinks it probable that these appearances are really due to clouds circulating in the atmosphere of Mars; at all events he concludes they arise from something connected with the atmosphere or with the surface of the planet capable of motion and of change in a comparatively short space of time.
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Our Astronomical Column . Nature 34, 459 (1886). https://doi.org/10.1038/034459a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/034459a0