On the Extensive Atmosphere of Mars. In a Letter to His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, K.G., President of the Royal Society.

4pp., 15-17p., unbound, stitch marks in left margin, 4to, from Philosophical Transactions from the Royal Society of London, 1832.

Sir James South, a British astronomer, wrote this paper to argue for the lack of atmosphere on mars using first hand evidence. He witnessed a star go behind the planet Mars, but the star did not show an atmosphere, which would have been visible if one existed. South ends his paper:

“…I can arrive at no other conclusion than that either some physical change has occurred in the “Extensive Atmosphere of Mars,” or that the accuracy of the observations of Cassini and of Roëmer must be regarded as untenable”

South originally trained as a chemist, then as a surgeon, before finally turning to astronomy. In 1821 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, and was joint founder of the Astronomical Society of London, later becoming the Royal Astronomical Society.

South and John Herschel jointly produced a catalogue of 380 double stars in 1824, re-observing many of the double stars that had been discovered by William Herschel. South then continued and observed another 458 double stars over the following year.

Craters on Mars and the Moon are named in his honour.