Who Ogilvy is
Ogilvy studies the sky at the Ottershaw observatory, where the narrator visits him. He has seen a burst of glowing gas on Mars and is excited by the observation. The flashes return on following nights, then stop before something apparently falls from the sky. Ogilvy finds a huge cylinder half buried on Horsell Common, with sand thrown up around it.
Ogilvy and the others in the story
Ogilvy is the narrator's friend, linking the writer's ordinary life with the first signs of the invasion. Although Ogilvy is excited by the activity on Mars, the narrator initially takes the news lightly. Their different responses introduce a gap between noticing something strange and understanding what it means.
Questions
Who is Ogilvy in The War of the Worlds?
Ogilvy is an astronomer and a friend of the unnamed narrator.
What does Ogilvy see on Mars?
He sees a burst of glowing gas, one of the strange signs that precede the landing.
What does Ogilvy find on Horsell Common?
He discovers the first cylinder, partly buried in a pit and too hot to touch.
