Explaining the canals on Mars
When Percival Lowell first observed Mars through his telescope in 1894, he thought he saw evidence for past life on the red planet. What appeared to be a network of canals radiated outward from a point and they always seemed to be facing the Earth. However, a new understanding of the problem prompted by a July Sky & Telescope article is discussed in today's New York Times.
As Lowell used his 14-inch telescope, he had restricted the aperture to less than 3 inches, inadvertently creating an ophthalmoscope, an instrument used for examining the interior of an eye. The spokes Lowell was seeing were actually a reflection of the blood vessels and structures in his own retina!
Now just sit back and wait for the conspiracy theorists to dispute this explanation because they really want to believe life is out there on the red planet...
