Summary:
- In the 19th century, astronomer Percival Lowell used science fiction to imagine what life on Mars might be like. He believed the planet had intelligent life and an advanced civilization.
- Lowell's ideas about Mars were influenced by the popular science fiction of his time, which often depicted the planet as a dying world with a network of canals built by its inhabitants.
- Lowell's theories about Mars were not supported by scientific evidence, but they captured the public's imagination and influenced later generations of scientists and science fiction writers.