MARS AMI APRIL 21

Hokitika Guardian, 17 April 1920, Page 4

MARS AMI APRIL 21

SIR R- GREGORY AND AN OPPORTUNE MOMENT.

LONDON, February 20,

The most opportune moment is fast approaching for testing the Mars theory of the mysterious wireless effects. Mars and the earth are rapidly coming nearer one another. If the Martians are trying to signal to us, their best Opportunity is within the next few months.

Sir Richard Gregory, Professor of Astronomy at Queen’s College, London, said.: —-

“Mars now rises about midnight and will increase in brightness until April 21, when it will be at its nearest point to the earth. While this position will not be very favourable for observation, it would, however, be advantageous for any experiments on the lines spoken of by Senator Marconi.” This means that any messages sent out from Mars would be at their strongest on April 21. They would be 25 times stronger than the messages sent from the planet when at its farthest point from tho earth. Sir Richard Gregory, while not altogether precluding the possibility of one planet trying to communicate with the earth, is inclined to the view that tho mytscrioiiß messages niav be caused by disturbances originating in the sun, or may arise from a common cause, operating throughout the solar system.

Such disturbances have long been known to scientists and are recorded in the oscillations of an ordinary compass magnetic needle. But there is a variation in these oscillations which has long been a mystery to scientists, and Sir Richard Gregory believes that there may he some connection between these variations and the strange wireless interruptions in the form of the letter S (throe dots in the Morse code).