Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1881-11-10
Objects of Interest in the Sky.

"
York Sun, paper thoroughly post
ed on most subjects, wants to know
the name of the constellation some
times called 'Job's Coffin and
what planets rise in the East Just
after nighrfail. The following was
elected, and contains SOME interest
ing information:
The little cluster Of stars called
Jobs Coffin is in the constellation
of the Dolphin. This starry dol
phin is fabled to be the one that
bore the musical Arion safe to shore
when fine Corinthian sailors were
going to murder him.
The plrnets now visible in the
east are, in the order in which they
ascend, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars.
Saturn is in the constellation Aries,
the first in the circle of the zodiac.
You can recognize this consteIla-
ton by two stars a few degrees
northwest Of Saturn, one of which
has little companion near it. The
brightest Of these is Arientis, very
famous star, and exceedingly use
tul to sailors. 1t is said that a
navigator, lost in an unknown sea,
could at once determine his posi-
ton and distance from any harbor
on the earth by measuring the dis
tance between Arietis and the
moon. Next east of Aries is Tau
rus, in which Jupiter now shines.
Taurus is known by the cluster Of
the Pleiades, and the V-shaped
Hyades in which rose-red Aide
baran shines pre-eminent. Further
east are the Twins, marked by two
fright stars of equal magnitude,
Castor and Pollux. Castor is a
splendid object in the telescope, as
it consists ct two suns, one white
and the other light green. The
twins, according to mythology, are
the wonderful brothers who ac-
companled Janson in his Argon-
autic expedition, and are the fabled
patrons OF navigation. You will
recognize Mars, shining little be
low the twins. By his tirery hue.
This red color Of mars has led to
some of the most interesting specu~
lations in astronomy. Some think
it is caused by his having red vege-
tation instead Of green, like that Of
the earth. To prove that our
green grass and green leaves give
the earth's continents corresponds
ing color as seen from the other
worlds, they relate a very curious
circumstance. Every body knows
that when the moon is only few
days old the portion that is unilln-
minated by the sun appears shining
with pale, ashy light, which is
reflected from it to the earth. On
February IA, 1774, the French as
tronomer Lambert SAW this ashen-
light changed to an olive green.
Upon investigating the cause OF
the phenomenon he observed that
the moon, at the time, stood yerti-
call ly over the Atlantic Ocean, in
such a position that the green light
reflected from the broad, grassy
plains and forests of South Ameri-
Ca must have fallen upon It's night
side and been faiutly reflected back
to the earth again.
Southeast of Taurus in Orion,
which needs no description. The
three stars in the giants belt, some,
times called Jacobs staff, point to
the splendid Sirius, or the dog star.
The Romans used to sacrifice dog
to Sirius every year, and almost
every nation of ancient times had
some superstition about the power
aud influence of this star. If yon
possess a telescope you can spend
many pleasant evenings among thu
stars of Orion, which, on account
of its splendid appearance and its
richness in telescope objects, has
been called the California CT the
sky.
Northeast of the twins is the
Charioteer, a constellation which is
made conspicuous by the beauty O
Its principal, star, Capella. Al
eyes were turned to Capella las
summer, when it served as sig,
post to point out the patti OF two
co,noto in cuccoccion
; Tho consultations that circl,
about the North Poe, such as tn,
Great Bear, Andromeda, Cassi-
opeia, and Persons, hardly need
, description since they are constant
ly visible, and their outlines mus
be familiar to all who pay any at
tention to the evening sky. Thos
! which are now seen setting 500
after sundown-the S corpi OF
, Bootes. Iyra. tho Eaole. and 9th