History of Mars

The History of the Observation of Mars Before the 20th Century

Date

Event

1546-1601 Tycho Brahe collects very accurate positions of Mars.

1571-1630 Johannes Kepler calculates elliptical orbit for Mars.

1610 Galileo Galilei points "optic tube" to heavens, records observations of disk and phases indicating a spherical body illuminated by the Sun.

1600s Kepler suggests that Mars must have two moons.

1629 Christiaan Huygens observed an aproximate 24 hour day on Mars

10/13/1659 First sketch of Mars from a telescope.

1672 Huygens observes white spot at south pole.

1727 Gulliver's Travels written by Jonathan Swift. He includes Mars and the two yet undiscovered moons in his story.

1784 25° axial tilt identified William Herschel.

1840 First global maps, Wilhelm Beer & Johann Madler.

1863 First color sketches, Father Pietro Angelo Secchi.

1867 First attempts to detect oxygen and water vapor spectroscopically, inconclusive results, Pierre Jules Janssen.

1877 Asaph Hall gives up his search for Martian moons but the next day, at the insistence of his wife, he detects a faint object near Mars.

1879 Schiaparelli reports double canali.

1886 Two French astronomers "confirm" canali.

1894 Percival Lowell builds an observatory in the territory of Arizona, at Flagstaff and dedicates himself to Mars observations.

1894 Edward Emerson Barnard reports his complete failure to detect canals.

1895 Mars published, Percival Lowell.

1898 War of the Worlds published, Herbert George Wells.

History of Mars Part II (NEXT)

Date	Event
1546-1601	Tycho Brahe collects very accurate positions of Mars.
1571-1630	Johannes Kepler calculates elliptical orbit for Mars.
1610	Galileo Galilei points "optic tube" to heavens, records observations of disk and phases indicating a spherical body illuminated by the Sun.
1600s	Kepler suggests that Mars must have two moons.
1629	Christiaan Huygens observed an aproximate 24 hour day on Mars
10/13/1659	First sketch of Mars from a telescope.
1672	Huygens observes white spot at south pole.
1727	Gulliver's Travels written by Jonathan Swift. He includes Mars and the two yet undiscovered moons in his story.
1784	25° axial tilt identified William Herschel.
1840	First global maps, Wilhelm Beer & Johann Madler.
1863	First color sketches, Father Pietro Angelo Secchi.
1867	First attempts to detect oxygen and water vapor spectroscopically, inconclusive results, Pierre Jules Janssen.
1877	Asaph Hall gives up his search for Martian moons but the next day, at the insistence of his wife, he detects a faint object near Mars.
1879	Schiaparelli reports double canali.
1886	Two French astronomers "confirm" canali.
1894	Percival Lowell builds an observatory in the territory of Arizona, at Flagstaff and dedicates himself to Mars observations.
1894	Edward Emerson Barnard reports his complete failure to detect canals.
1895	Mars published, Percival Lowell.
1898	War of the Worlds published, Herbert George Wells.