Abstract
THE ATMOSPHERE OF MARS.—In August 1924 Mr. Wright obtained at the Lick Observatory photographs of Mars in ultra-violet, yellow and red light. The former showed a larger image than the others, but gave scarcely any detail on the planet's surface. B. Fessenkoff, of the Moscow Astrophysical Institution, makes some calculations on the subject in Astr. Nachr. No. 5450. He concludes that the observed facts are best satisfied by supposing that the upper layers of the planet's atmosphere contain fine dust which is nearly opaque to ultra-violet light, but transparent to red and yellow light. As to the possibility of fine dust at great heights, reference may be made to the Krakatao eruption of 1883. The dust remained suspended in the upper air for more than a year, causing remarkable sunsets all over the world.
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Our Astronomical Column. Nature 118, 25 (1926). https://doi.org/10.1038/118025a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/118025a0