Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-04-21
AstrOnomy.-Article 6.
COLLEGE OF THE SACRED HEART, !
WATERFOWL. APRIL 20. 1875.

judged of the swelling of the Nile, called
the bright star Sirius the centinel of the
year, and according to their hieroglyphical
manner OF writing, represented il under
the figure Ola dog. The Egyptians called
the Nile Ssras, and hence according to some
mythologists is derived the name of their
ueity Osiris. The Able BANNER is of
opinion that Osiris is the same as Misrans
the son of Ham, who peopled Egypt some
time after the deluge, and who was del fed
after his death, he was also called the son
of Jupiter, because he was the son of Ham
whom he himself acknowledged as god
The dog Sirius IS represented in an up
right sitting posture, the star sirius is placed
under his jaw, and Miriam of the 4th mag
nitude is in his fore paw some 100 west
The stars forming curve of a circle to
south east are in his hips, they are named
Adhara, Wesen and Aludro, reading from
the west. Of a clear night, q curved line
| of faint stars may be seen eastward of the
alb owe named stars, they are in the Prov of
the ship Argo. 1t is a disputed point
whether this ship was called after the port
| of Argos, or after her builder whose anne
| was Argos, certain it is she was the frs.
ship ever used for war purposes, for she
carried Jasen and his troops to Cozchis
with the purpose of recovering the golden
fleece and revenging the death of Phryrus
as before related in the fable of Aries the
| Ram.
Canus Aanor, Or the Little Dog, is a bril-
liant star of the lst magnitude 25o orth
east of Sirius, Gomeisa of,he Sd magnitude
is 80 north west of Procyone which is the
proper name for the little dog. Due north
of Procyone 200 are the two remarkable
stars, Castor and POLLOK known more par
ticularly as Gemini the twins one of the
Zodiacal signs. In line north west of
Castor and Pollok are two stars known as
Herchdls Telescope, named so in honor of
the great Astronomer, Sir William Herchal.
| From this point over vast space up to
| the very Pole star, there is no star that can
be noted here but it includes the constei-
latons of the Lyn1 with but one star in
his mouth, and that resting on the line of
the summer Solsticr; and the Cdmelleopard
a vast blank space extending up to the pole
The constellation Monoceros or the horn
ed horse or Unicorn, is under the feet of
the little dog; in fact the bright little
fellow is standing on the horses back
The space occupied by the 9Th, 9th and 7th
| hours contain more brilliant stars then any
other space IN the heavens 1t would seem
as If the great Creator had SO dispo Sc it, to
cheer up the long cold winter nights, that
the minds of men might be occupied in con-
templating the immensely of his works,
and the boundless grandure of his kingdom.
Procyone or Canus Minor, is the prin-
cipal star in the 9TH hour We find in the
Greek fable that Procyone was also one Of
Oricn's hounds; but the Egyptians were
most probably the inventors of this con-
stellations and as it rises before the great
dog star, which at particular season was
SO much dreaded, is properly represented
as little watchtul creature, giving notice
OF the others approach hence the Latin
authors have called it Africans, the star
before the dog. Gemini the twins, is the
Sd sign in the zodiac, and the sun enters
this sign on the 81 of May, no two stars
dlG more easily IOuuu lueu castor anu FOG-
lo1 as they lay due north of, and in the
same angle as Procyone and his companion
star Gomeisa. A line drawn from that
large red star Betelguese in Orions right
shoulder to Pollok, south east Of Castor,
will pass ust north of Athena which lays
nearly half way between the two last
named stars, and is bright star of the Sd
magnitude ard is in Polox's left foot
| WI Ia 81;
left foot, little north of west The eclp-
tic passes just ORTIZ of this last star. The
sosticial point or colure Cancer passes 40
west of this last star.
! Castor and Pozlor were the sons of Jupi-
ter and Leda, the wife of Tlndarus king OF
Laconia. They embarked with Jason in
the ship Argo to go in quest Of the golden
fleece, and both behaved with superior
courage. During the Argonantic expedi-
ton in a violent storm, flame of fire was
seen to play around the head Of both of
them and Immediately the tempest ceased
from this occurrence their power to pro-
tect sailors is believed in to the present
day. 1t is common to see balls of light
resting on the masts and yards of ships in
distant oceans and mariners always re-
/ gard their approach as a good omen and
call Iuem castor ana POLLOK. IHeSe
brothers cleared the Helespont and ad-
jacent seas of pirates, and for this reason
have been always held in great respect by
mariners. The appearance of these stars
was thought by many ancient writer's to
be favorable to sailors, and it was COM
mon practice to carve or point them on the
prows of their ships. The Alexanaran
ship in which st. Paul sailed from Meita
or Malta 10 Syracuse in Sicily had for it's
sign and name Castor and Pollok
South east of Castor and Poll OK and a
little north of the ecliptic is star cluster
called Presepe it is in the back of G ancer
the crab, the fourth constellation in the
zodiac. The sign Cancer is 800 east of the
constellation having slid or moved forward
from the effects of the procession of the
equinoxes as before described round this
cluster will be seen four stars of the 4th
magnitude forming an irregular square.
Due south of these will be seen four stars
also of the fourth magnitude, and forming
a large irregular square east Of Procyone
in CAMS Minor the little dog. These stars
form the head of the Hydra or great