Picture Mars from an observatory telescope in Italy in 1877. You see what appear to be lines on the surface and use the Italian word "canali" to describe them. A few years later another astronomer in an observatory in the United States uses a more powerful telescope to view Mars. He misinterprets "canali" to mean canals and builds on that idea to desribe canals and oceans in his view of Mars. Now flash forward to 1976. The Viking Lander I actually lands on Mars and takes the first color photo of the surface from the surface. Where are the canals and oceans?
Look at the images below. How has man's views of Mars changed over the years as technology has improved? Click on the orange links to learn more about the scientists, the technology they used, and their theories. Then think about the thought questions. Finally go to Hypothesize That! to try your hand at imagining what we'll know about Mars in the future.
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Giovanni Schiaparelli |
Percival Lowell |
NASA Viking Lander I |
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The Astronomers and The Theories
Schiaparelli & his Canali | People Who Gave Us Mars | The Planet Mars: A History... |
People Who Gave Us Mars | Mars by Percival Lowell | Lowell's Drawings of Mars |
Viking Mission to Mars | Viking I Lander | Vikings and Beyond |
When you're done exploring here use the navigation buttons to go to Hypothesize That!