2 0 0 9 P a r i s / M
e u d o n
IWCMO Conference
Audouin DOLLFUS: Search for
Life on Mars at Pic du Midi and Meudon Observatories
Professor Audouin DOLLFUS prepared a
talk to be given at the IWCMO, but unfortunately he could not attend because he
became sick on the days. Here so given are an Abstract of the talk and the
prepared PPt manuscript
ABSTRACT: In 1945, a project was initiated at Meudon Observatory to try to
detect life at the surface of Mars, using telescopic observations. We tried to
constrain the characterization of a life by high resolution telescopic
inspection with the Pic du Midi telescope, photometric
and polarimetric measurements with new analyzers,
reflectance spectroscopy and balloon borne spectroscopy.
On the eve of spacecraft
technology exploration, around 1965, we had the proof that phanerogram
type vegetation and organisms of complex texture are not compatible with the
way the light is reflected and not present at the surface of Mars. If a life
exists, it has to be of small or microscopic size grains or as microbes. However,
the optical properties observed could also be explained as mineral dust grains
displaced by seasonal wind effects.
Click
here 
Audouin DOLLFUS, Meudon Observatory