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A 1962 map of Mars published by the U.S. Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, showing canals snaking through the Martian landscape. At the time, the existence of the canals was still highly controversial as no close-up pictures of Mars had been taken (until Mariner 4's flyby in 1965).
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was erroneously believed that there were "canals" on the planet Mars. These were a network of long straight lines in the equatorial regions from 60° north to 60° south latitude on Mars, observed by astronomers using early telescopes without photography.
They were first described by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli during the opposition of 1877, and confirmed by later observers. Schiaparelli called these canali ("channels"), which was mis-translated into English as "canals". The Irish astronomer Charles E. Burton made some of the earliest drawings of straight-line features on Mars, although his drawings did not match Schiaparelli's.
Around the turn of the century there was even speculation that they were engineering works, irrigation canals constructed by a civilization of intelligent aliens indigenous to Mars. By the early 20th century, improved astronomical observations revealed the "canals" to be an optical illusion, and modern high-resolution mapping of the Martian surface by spacecraft shows no such features.
astronomical observations revealed the "canals" to be an optical illusion, and modern high-resolution mapping of the Martian surface by spacecraft shows no such...
of the polar caps and the dark areas formed during Martian summers) in combination with the canals led to speculation about life on Mars, and it was a...
via a worldwide system of canals, controlled by quarreling city-states at the junctures thereof. The idea of Martian "canals" stems from telescopic observations...
of canal tunnels in the United Kingdom List of canals in the United States List of canals in Massachusetts List of canals in New York List of canals in...
century, following telescopic observation by some observers of apparent Martiancanals—which were later found to be optical illusions. Despite this, in 1895...
these channels resembled man-made canals, which an intelligent race could use to redistribute water across a dying Martian world. He advocated for the existence...
Surrey and his younger brother in London as southern England is invaded by Martians. It is one of the most commented-on works in the science fiction canon...
both, depending partly on the Martian seasons. He theorized that an advanced but desperate culture had built the canals to tap Mars' polar ice caps, the...
atmosphere, a diverse ecosystem including sentient Martians, and Lowellian canals. Martiancanals remained a prominent symbol of this more traditional...
lines, which were then interpreted by some as canals (see Martiancanals). It was theorized that the canals were possibly created by sentient beings. This...
example of such a canal is the Panama Canal. Many canals have been built at elevations, above valleys and other waterways. Canals with sources of water...
List of canals in New York List of canals in Oregon List of canals in Texas List of Martiancanals List of aqueducts List of interoceanic canals List of...
and voodoo science." Examples of pathological science include the Martiancanals, N-rays, polywater, and cold fusion. The theories and conclusions behind...
The Martian Chronicles is a science fiction fix-up novel, published in 1950, by American writer Ray Bradbury that chronicles the exploration and settlement...
Aspledon Undae Dark dune spots List of craters on Mars List of Martiancanals Mars Martiancanals Siton Undae "History of Planetary Nomenclature". planetarynames...
featuring bizarre encounters on the Moon Moon landing conspiracy theories Martiancanals Vida, István Kornél (2012). "The "Great Moon Hoax" of 1835". Hungarian...
expedition to Chile, an attempt to capture images of the purported Martiancanals. Lowell's canals were later discredited and explained as an optical illusion...
man changed into a sea monster by Apollo Cephissus, a Martiancanal, per List of Martiancanals Battle of the Cephissus, 15 March 1311 conflict between...
developed a consensus against the canal hypothesis, but the popular concept of Martiancanals excavated by intelligent Martians remained in the public mind...
century, though it has been revived in the 20th century. The supposed Martiancanals were first reported in 1877, by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli...
Transit of Deimos from Mars History of Mars observation Martiancanals List of Martiancanals Classical albedo features on Mars Timeline of discoveries...
"canals", which are artificial) on Mars. This was followed by thirty years of enthusiasm about the possibility of life on Mars. Eventually the Martian...
Mars Global Surveyor § Discovery of water ice on Mars Martiancanals – Erroneous idea of canals on Mars Mud cracks on Mars Torbet, Georgina (December...
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