THE CLIMATE AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF MARS, --No permanent water on Mars --Rarely any clouds and no rain --Snow-caps the only source of water --No mountains, hills, or valleys on Mars --Two-thirds of the surface a desert --Water from the snow-caps too scanty to supply the canals --Miss Clerke's views as to the water-supply --Description of some of the chief canals --Mr. Lowell on the purpose of the canals --Remarks on the same --Mr. Lowell on relation of canals to oases and snow-caps --Critical remarks on the same.
IS ANIMAL LIFE POSSIBLE ON MARS? --Water and air essential for animal life --Atmosphere of Mars assumed to be like ours --Blue tint near melting snow the only evidence of water --Fallacy of this argument --Dr. Johnstone Stoney's proof that water-vapour cannot exist on Mars --Spectroscope gives no evidence of water.
TEMPERATURE OF MARS--MR. LOWELL'S ESTIMATE, --Problem of terrestrial temperature --Ice under recent lava --Tropical oceans ice-cold at bottom --Earth's surface-heat all from the sun --Absolute zero of temperature --Complex problem of planetary temperatures --Mr. Lowell's investigation of the problem --Abstract of Mr. Lowell's paper --Critical remarks on Mr. Lowell's paper.
A NEW ESTIMATE OF THE TEMPERATURE OF MARS, --Langley's determination of lunar heat --Rapid loss of heat by radiation on the earth --Rapid loss of heat on moon during eclipse --Sir George Darwin's theory of the moon's origin --Very's researches on the moon's temperature --Application of these results to the case of Mars --Cause of great difference of temperatures of earth and moon --Special features of Mars influencing its temperature --Further criticism of Mr. Lowell's article --Very low temperature of arctic regions on Mars.
A SUGGESTION AS TO THE 'CANALS' OF MARS, --Special features of the canals --Mr. Pickering's suggested explanation --The meteoritic hypotheses of origin of planets --Probable mode of origin of Mars --Structural straight lines on the earth --Probable origin of the surface-features of Mars --Symmetry of basaltic columns --How this applies to Mars --Suggested explanation of the oases --Probable function of the great fissures --Suggested origin of blue patches adjacent to snow-caps --The double canals --Concluding remarks on the canals.