The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-11-30

tho HOn0f OF pelE& the Nortn STAR, Dut
must yield 70 Alpha Lyra. A study Of the
pyramids Of Egypt shows that The star
Thuban, in the constellation of the Dragon,
Was the pole star 1000 years age, q TACT In
dorsed by astronomy.
The next constellation to be observed is
Pegasus. the winged horse OF poetic fame.
1t comprises huge square. and lies back
OF Affair and the dolphin. towards the east.
On ct one corner OF the square OF Pegasus
Is delicate little trisnguiar-shsped figure.
which will help to locate the square ITSELF
This constellation Is principally Important
as helping to point Gus the brilliant group
ing OF stars called Cassicpeia's chair. q
north cfrcnmpolar constellation. which lies
somewhat to the northwest of Pegasus.
The chair of Cassiopeia lacks but one star
to make it complete. and Is generally seen
IN reversed condition. The cause for this
lies in the fact. according to mythology.
that Cassiopeia joined with her husband,
King Cepheas in chaining their beautiful
daughter, Andromeda. to rock. to be de-
voured by q huge sea monster. Her
lover, the brave Perseus, fu,hes to the
rescue and liberates the maiden, to accom-
piish which he found it necessary to sever
the head OF Medusa, the sight of whom
turned every beholdrr to stone The story
of the rescue of Andromeda is intensely
poetic. In preparing for the brave deed
Perseus borrows the helmet OF Pluto, the
buckler OF Minerva. and dagger of dia-
monds and the winged sandals OF Mer-
curry, and thus equipped. accomplishes the
daring deed. As q punishment, Cassie
peia's chair OF state carries its head down
during half the time. The consultations
OF Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus. Medusa
and the swan all lie in this neighborhood
and will be described in later paper
Starting again with Affair, and going
back towards the east with q slight tend
ency to tho south. We come in range with
the most interesting and brilliant of ali the
considerations The first in order is the
Ram OF the Golden Fleece, formerly the
first constellation in the signs of the zodiac.
Not far removed from the ram, back
towards the northeast, is the easily-detected
pentagon or fve-sided figure of the
charioteor, Auriga, in which is to be found
Capella, the goat star, one of the brightest
iuninaries to be seen, and near which is a
delicate IAtle triangle called the kids"
IL will DO interesting to know that it takes
the Light OF CapeIla, travelling at the enor-
nous rate of 10000 miles per second,
seventy-five years to reach the earth, SO
that II this star should go out of existence
tonight the youngest child would be an old
man before the astronomers of the earth
would know the fact Indeed, the light We
now see may have emanated from star
which has long ago ceased to live.
To the east of Capella is the cluster of
stars called the Pleiades, a. Seven Sisters.
The theory has gained considerable en-
dorsement that in the constellation Of the
Pleiades is to be found the star around
which the sun, with his vast concourse Of
planets. ETC., is revolving. Biblical stu
dents take considerable comfort to them
selves over this theory from the fact that
IN the question occurring in the book of
Job. "Can'st thou bind up the sweet in
huence Of Pleiades7" the word used for
Pleiades really means "pivot" or axis"
80 that the question is to be translated.
"Canst thou. as God. bind up the axis OF
the heavens?
Hyades. the horn of Taurus, the bull. This
Is perfect letter v, and should be easily
found. Its brightest star is the famous
Aldebaran. Next comes Orion, who, clad
IN his Nemean's lion skin, fights the bull.
The constellation of Orion forms a huge
parallelogram with three bright stars in
line In the center. constituting his girdle,
from which depends his sheath, q dim,
cloud-like cluster of stars near the girile.
Orion's history is suggestive. Having had
his eyes put out, he was informed that the
rays OF the sun would restore his vision.
Persuading one of the lesser gods to mount
his shoulders and show him the way. after
many difficulties overcome and long wait
ing, the rays of the sun finally fall on his
darkened vision and restore TO him the
beauties of light.
A short distance further east and Sirius.
N the constellation of CAMS Major, comes
to view. Sirius is the diamond of the
heavens, and is the brightest OF all the
stars, and is believed by the unread to be
the much-talked-of star OF Bethlehem-a
fallacy, however, of the imagination, since
Sirius could not have been in that locality
at that period. If the star of Bethlehem
was natural phenomenon at all it must
have resulted from the happy combination
OF the larger planets, but if truly a mira
Gle, then any explanation is tenable. How
ever. though Sirius shines so brilliantly, his
light is twenty-five years old before react-
ing the earth. Between Orion and Sirius.
and off toward the north, is q bright star
called Procyon, of CAMS Minor. Procyon,
Sirius and Belteguese, . bright red star in
the shoulder Of Orion, form the great equa-
torial triangls. The other considerations
that follow will not be visible until q late
hour In the night. u.s..