French Astronomer Believes "Meteors" Recently Seen Are Messages.
Paris, Jan. 25-Is Mars trying to signal the earth?
M. Henri Pensa, French astronomer, says that the phenomena recently witnessed in the Rhodez mountains, in Auvergne, when meteor-like trails were seen in the sky, may turn out to be Martian signals.
His statement aroused high interest in scientific circles today.
On three successive nights?at the same hour each time?"meteors" were seen in the Rhodez region. They left a trail of fire in their wake. When they suddenly fell, fragments were picked up.
M. Pensa maintains that no meteor would have been seen on three successive nights traveling in the same direction. He believes that the "apparition" may be the result of a Martian attempt to signal our planet, more discouraged by its futile efforts to communicate with the earth.
M. Glacobini, of the Paris observatory, explains what would have to be done to reply to the signals, if they are really signals. The simplest way, he said, would be to flash a reply in the Martian manner. But, as the scientist admits, this is easier to say than do. To be seen at all by the Martians, the light would have to be as wide as the city of Paris itself.
Thirty years ago a Madame Guzman established a $4,000 prize for the first person who succeeded in communication with the other planets. Mme. Guzman excepted Mars, however, therefore, no cash inducement exists for this planet at this time. This may tend to discourage experimentators who are more interested in cash than the advancement of inter-planetary communication.