Martian Opposition
01/08/2004 . Source: Rod MacDonald 
Rod ponders the Red Planet's fascination for writers of science fiction and fantasy and muses over the host of space probes which will shortly be descending there from America, Europe and Japan. It appears in our skies every couple of years and has done so as long as we can remember. A distinct bright orange colour, different in appearance from most other celestial objects, it remains as much an object of mystery and fascination for writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy as it did for people of the Stone Age. Orson Wells scared the wits out of America with his broadcast of 'War of the Worlds' in 1938. Since the sixties, dozens of spacecraft have headed in its direction. The planet is, of course, Mars. What makes this month a significant one as far as Martian studies are concerned is that planetary alignments will bring us close to this planet, closer than we have been for 60,000 years. This alignment is termed an 'opposition'. It will occur on 27 August 2003 when the planet will be 34,650,000 miles distant, a mere hop in interplanetary space. Added excitement also comes from the host of space probes which will descend on Mars. America, Europe and Japan join forces to investigate the unsolved mysteries that baffle us even after decades of research but maybe, just maybe, it will be a British effort in the form of Beagle 2 which will make the fundamental discovery that life exists or has existed on Mars. Not only will this discovery be scientifically interesting, the philosophical repercussions are tremendous. Life may not be unique to Earth. We may not be alone in the universe. While Science Fiction readers can be a bit blasé about extraterrestrial life, its impact on our society has never really been assessed. How will world religions cope, for example? Does God have children elsewhere in the universe and how many times has he sent his one and only son to save them? Look out for Mars this month. Being very low in the night sky, observers in Britain will need to go to an area where a clear view of the south is possible. The further south you are the better, which means that in American you'll get a much better view of the god of war. It will be bright - unmistakably bright and obvious. Unlike Venus which is a dazzling golden yellow, Mars is red and menacing. It's easy to understand why ancient people who witnessed the appearance of Mars in skies unobstructed by light pollution were impressed by its presence. This opposition presents the best opportunity to see the planet for years to come so don't miss it. Bad things usually came from Mars. In fifties Science Fiction, invasion from the red planet had many connotations with invasion from the Soviet Union but even before the Cold War, people believed in the possibility of Martians visiting their closest planetary neighbour to wreak havoc and mischief. Popular astronomy in the last years of the 19th century depicted a planet smaller and drier than earth with canals criss-crossing its surface to take meagre water supplies from the poles to the equatorial regions. Percival Lowell, the wealthy and influential American amateur astronomer, was an exponent of canals: he believed in Martians and so did the public at large. It was against this background that HG Wells wrote 'The War of the Worlds' in 1898 and forty years later, when Orson Wells did his radio broadcast on 30 October 1938, the public belief in Martians was still prevalent. Such was the radio play's impact that many people actually thought an invasion was taking place. It's still possible to hear the actual words that were spoken that night. A CD is available which also includes ‘Dracula’ from the same radio play series.  War of the Worlds/Drac [Original Recording Remastered Soundtrack] Double CD
Label: Stardust. ASIN: B00005LMKK. Cat. No: CLP1077CD. £7.99 from Amazon.
Expect a long delay between ordering and receipt because this CD is relatively rare. It's available from other outfits, too. Listening to this radio play was an interesting experience. It was exactly as a pre-conceived American broadcast should sound like and if you had lived in 1938 and hadn't switched on at the beginning, it is easy to see why many thought this was a real news broadcast and a real invasion was taking place. While anecdotes of suicide are probably false, reactions of sheer panic took place: hiding in cellars, building up barricades, arming with rifles and guns and fleeing to the country definitely happened. We wouldn't be fooled today, would we? You have to remember that this took place when radio was relatively new and when people were more naïve if not gullible. It was a time when, by and large, people believed what they read in papers, what they heard on radio and also believed the propaganda that governments issued. This era saw the rise of fascism in Germany and the diktats of communism in the Soviet Union. Taken together with the fact that many thought Martians existed, it's easy to understand what happened. Looking at other media presentations, the double CD, 'The War of the Worlds' by Jeff Wayne is still readily available and its impact hasn't diminished even after a quarter of a century. (I must be getting old - it seems like yesterday). Who can forget Richard Burton's hypnotic narration or the terrifying 'ulla' cries of the Martians. If you've never listened to this, get a copy now. If you have one gathering dust in your CD rack, take it out and let it blast. Should you wish to learn more about Mars, there are many sites on the net. Here are some for you to try:- NASA
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/
NASA's Mars exploration program. Up-to-date information about everything to do with Mars and the spacecraft en route to this planet. Martian Soil
http://www.martiansoil.com/
A large site with many links to Martian subjects. The Mars Society
http://www.marssociety.org/
Want to do something active about Mars? Then look at this site and join the society.  Mars - the Red Planet - the definitive Martian experience is available on the DVD
Label: DVD International. Cat No: DVDI0721. Region 2 encoding PAL Price: £16.95 post free from the on-line Astronomy Now marketplace or £10 (UK) from Amazon
This is no ordinary DVD. Ninety minutes of video accompanied by interactive sound and vision experiences are packed on this disk. It will run through a computer to show breath-taking and intriguing presentations of Mars. It even has 3-D images which can be viewed with the glasses provided. Don't mess about - get this now (nobody is paying me to say this - I just think it's good and worth the investment). All you ever want to know about the red planet is on this DVD and once consumed, you'll be ready for the Martian opposition and the spacecraft which will land towards the end of the year. Rod MacDonald 
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