Map of Mars. Historical map of the surface of the planet Mars. This drawing was made by the American astronomer Percival Lowell (1855-1916) in 1907. Lowell was greatly influenced by Schiaparelli's discovery of canali (channels) on Mars. Lowell believed that the canals (lines) were created by Martians to carry water from the polar ice caps. The idea that there was life on Mars was very popular around the end of the 19th century. Only later was the idea of a Martian civilization disproved when it was discovered that the channels were an optical illusion.