Martian Canals?

Hubble Image of Mars (Mercator Projection)

 

By the mid 19th century, telescopes had improved enough that surface features on Mars could be easily observed and examined. In 1877, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli noted what he thought were long straight lines on the surface which he named after rivers on Earth and identified them on maps he drew of Mars as "canali" which is Italian for channels or grooves. English speakers misinterpreted canali as canals and thought that the channels on Mars were artificial, created by Martians (which is the correct term for someone from Mars - if there were such a creature).

Schiaparelli Map of Martian "canals"

Percival Lowell Map of Martian "canals"

The Martian canals led rise to a plethora of science fiction which believed that Mars was inhabited by intelligent creatures including "War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells and "The Martian Chronicles" by Edgar Rice Burroughs (who also created Tarzan the Apeman). 

As telescopic resolution improved with new technology, it became clear that the channels on Mars were not artificial, but were created naturally in the ancient past by running water. In a previous post, we learned that water once flowed freely on the surface, but as the atmosphere was stripped away, allowing the planet to cool and the air pressure to drop, surface water no longer exists on Mars.