Today in the history of astronomy, the first accurate drawings of the Red Planet’s surface lead to an estimate of Mars’ day.
Christiaan Huygens’ Nov. 28, 1659, drawing of Syrtis Major was called “the first drawing of the planet worthy of the name” by Percival Lowell. Credit: Percival Lowell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Christiaan Huygens created the first recognizable drawings of Mars’ surface features during the fall of 1659, an achievement made possible by his advancements in telescope manufacturing.
- His November 28, 1659 drawing of Syrtis Major is recognized as the first identifiable feature ever recorded on the Martian surface.
- By tracking Syrtis Major over several weeks, Huygens was able to accurately calculate the length of Mars’ day.
- Huygens additionally determined that Mars rotates around a north-south axis and that its day is slightly longer than Earth’s.
In the fall of 1659, Christiaan Huygens observed the opposition of Mars, drawing what he saw. The result was the first drawings of the recognizable surface features of the Red Planet – an achievement that wouldn’t have been possible without the advances in telescope manufacturing that Huygens himself had undertaken. One drawing of Syrtis Major that Huygens produced on Nov. 28, 1659, was referred to by Percival Lowell in his book Mars as “the first drawing of the planet worthy of the name, for on it is the first identifiable feature ever made out by man on the surface of Mars.” Additionally, by tracking Syrtis Major over a period of weeks, Huygens was able to calculate Mars’ day – slightly longer than Earth’s – and the planet’s rotation around a north-south axis.
