20. How did the idea of Martians start? Or, might there actually be some intelligent life on Mars? (A K2S Question)

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Early scientific speculations suggested that surface conditions on Mars might be capable of supporting life. In 1877, astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli observed linear features on the face of Mars, which he thought might be water channels. However, translators incorrectly called these channels "canals"—a word that suggests the Mars features were not natural. The idea was made very popular in the 1898 H.G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds, where Martians were described as an ancient, advanced race with a tentacled, squidlike appearance. Since that time, many authors have used Mars and Martians in their fiction. There have been no indications of intelligent life, current or past, on the surface of Mars.

Answer provided by Laura Peckyno & Robert Peckyno


Image:K2S logosmall.jpg Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer


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