All You Can Books

Is Mars Habitable?

Alfred Russel Wallace

56 ratings
Is Mars Habitable?  | Alfred Russel Wallace

Is Mars Habitable?

Download Here

Download Audiobook

Listen Online

Download eBook

Read eBook Online

Download eBook PDF
Wallace wrote the short book Is Mars Habitable? to criticize the claims made by Percival Lowell that there were Martian canals built by intelligent beings. Wallace did months of research, consulted various experts, and produced his own scientific analysis of the Martian climate and atmospheric conditions. Among other things Wallace pointed out that spectroscopic analysis had shown no signs of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere, that Lowell’s analysis of Mars’ climate was seriously flawed and badly overestimated the surface temperature, and that low atmospheric pressure would make liquid water, let alone a planet girding irrigation system, impossible. (from Wikipedia)
now-caps is reached at a period of the Martian winter corresponding to the end of February with us. About the end of March the cap begins to shrink in size (in the Northern Hemisphere), and this goes on so rapidly that early in the June of Mars it is reduced to its minimum. About the same time changes of colour take place in the adjacent darker portions of the surface, which become at first bluish, and later a decided blue-green; but by far the larger portion, including almost all the equatorial regions of the planet, remain always of a reddish-ochre tint.[4]

[Footnote 4: In 1890 at Mount Wilson, California, Mr. W.H. Pickering's photographs of Mars on April 9th showed the southern polar cap of moderate dimensions, but with a large dim adjacent area. Twenty-four hours later a corresponding plate showed this same area brilliantly white; the result apparently of a great Martian snowfall. In 1882 the same observer witnessed the steady disappearance of 1,600,000 square miles of the southern snow-cap, an area nearly one-third of that hemisphere of the planet.]

The rapid and comparatively early disappearance of the white covering is, very reasonably, supposed to prove that it is of small thickness, corresponding perhaps to about a foot or two of snow in north-temperate America and Europe, and that by the increasing amount of sun-heat it is converted, partly into liquid and partly into vapour. Coincident with this disappearance and as a presumed result of the water (or other liquid) producing inundations, the bluish-green tinge which appears on the previously dark portion of the surface is supposed to be due to a rapid growth of vegetation.

But the evidence on this point does not seem to be clear or harmonious, for in the four coloured plates showing the planet's surface at successive Martian dates from December 30th to February 21st, not only is a considerable extent of the south temperate zone shown to change

Zack 11/01/2022
The alternate/collaborator of Darwin. And When i read some Darwin i thought i should read something by Wallace. Interesting enough, and clearly correct as a refutation, but - through no fault of his - quite dated. It is impressive how fast humanity has gone from hardly being able to see Mars to bein
Kara 09/21/2018

Wallace was one of the first to dispute Lowell's theory of civilized Mars, and he puts down Lowell hard. Planetary science is no place for those with thin skins!
Luís 05/31/2016
(lido em Chengdu, China)
Rex 08/05/2014
The Book "Is Mars Habitable?" is a scientific critique of Percival Lowell's conjectures that intelligent life exists or existed on Mars and built the canals. Lowell was an amateur astronomer, whereas Wallace is a professional scientist and a little more rigorous in his application of science to Mars
David 02/16/2014
A fascinating look at early thinking about astrobiology and the Martian canal debate from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Victorian language and sometimes lengthy discussions probably don't lend themselves to casual reading, though.
Peter 02/16/2013
A bit dry, but it really helped me grasp just how brilliant the early 1900's scientists were. And they did it all with slide rules and on paper.
Timothy 08/27/2012
Amazing what was observable and deducible with such primitve equipment.

Linda 01/05/2010
The entirety of this books was picking apart someone else theory almost line for line and proving it wrong. Where as I am in agreement its wrong as it is an OLD theory, both are infact. I feel the book could have better been used to promote the author's own theory to stand on its own without attacki

How It Works

30-day FREE trial

Get ALL YOU CAN BOOKS absolutely FREE for 30 days. Download our FREE app and enjoy unlimited downloads of our entire library with no restrictions.

UNLIMITED access

Have immediate access and unlimited downloads to over 200,000 books, courses, podcasts, and more with no restrictions.

Forever Downloads

Everything you download during your trial is yours to keep and enjoy for free, even if you cancel during the trial. Cancel Anytime. No risk. No obligations.

Significant Savings

For just $24.99 per month, you can continue to have unlimited access to our entire library. To put that into perspective, most other services charge the same amount for just one book!

Start Your Free Trial Now

Our Story

Welcome to All You Can Books, the ultimate destination for book lovers.

Welcome to All You Can Books, the ultimate destination for book lovers.

As avid readers, we understand the joy of immersing ourselves in a captivating story or getting lost in the pages of a good book. That's why we founded All You Can Books back in 2010, to create a platform where people can access an extensive library of quality content and discover new favorites.

Since our founding days, we’ve continuously added to our vast library and currently have over 200,000 titles, including ebooks, audiobooks, language learning courses, podcasts, bestseller summaries, travel books, and more! Our goal at All You Can Books is to ensure we have something for everyone.

Join our community of book lovers and explore the world of literature and beyond!