Martian 'canali' and Mars mapping
Descubrimiento de canales de Marte (Schiaparelli)
- Date
- 1877 · confidence high
- Place
- Brera Observatory, Milan, Italy
- Credited to
- Giovanni Schiaparelli
- People
- 👤 Giovanni Schiaparelli1835–1910
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
During the great opposition of 1877, Schiaparelli mapped Mars and described 'canali' (channels), which Lowell reinterpreted as artificial canals. Though illusory, they spurred the study of Mars and the idea of extraterrestrial life.
That same year Asaph Hall discovered Phobos and Deimos from Washington.
What it led to
- Martian areography and nomenclature
- Science fiction and public fascination with Mars
- Robotic exploration of Mars