The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-04

ere,,re~euts the position OF sirius; Indicates
the constellation oil the Hare. at the feet OF
Orion: 10 Capella, the Goat star In Aongs.
indicates the position of the Pleiades - Aideo-
aran ID the horn of Taurus. and b and signify
the parallei0gram OF orfon-I
Turning nov to the second diagram, our
old friends Orion and CAMS Major, the
Big Dog. are 10 be seen, IN company WITH
other consultations. Orion Is represented
as a mighty hunter, wagine perpetual
warfare against TaTus, the Bull. At bis
feet Is the constellation of the Hare, while
following him closely come his two dogs,
CAMS Major and Minor. A line drawn
from the star Betelgeuse, in his shoulder,
10 Procyon. in CAMS Minor. and thence 10
Sirius, the dog star, marks the great equi-
lateral triangle of the heavens. five were
near the equator we would discover tnat
the extension of these lines meet in Argo
in the Ship and Phaet in the Dove, form
ing huge Egyptian cross. "A reference TO
the skies will show q line of stars curylng
between Orionis other shoulder tBeilatrixD
and the Hyades, the horn of Taurus. This
represents Orion's shield, made from the
skin of the Nemean lion.
Through the telescope Orion presents
many interesting features, especially With
respect to huge mass OF nebula in the VI
entity of his sword. An astronomer Of the
seventeenth century says: In the sword
of Orion are three stars quite close to-
gether. As CHANGED TO be viewing the
middle one with telescope, instead OF
single star, twelve stars appeared. shining
through the nebula." 4 recent examlna-
ton of the nebula of Orion by the aid OF
the spectroscope develops the fact that il
is q mass of glowing hydrogen and nitro
gen gas.
Procyon, the Little Dog star, is binary.
In his neighborhood are the twins. Castor
and Pollnx. Capella, the Goat star, In the
five-sided constellation of Auriga, the
Charioteer, has increased In brilliancy dur
ing the present century Near by Is the
delicate triange of the Kids, which can be
easily seen
To the ordinary observer Sirius is by far
the most interesting star of all the heavens
and sparkles with a brilliancy and beauty
rivaling that of the most costly of dia-
monds. He is not To be COMPOUNDED with
any of the other stars. as he shines with
Out a rival In all the skies. He IL now dis
tant from us 500 900 times the distance of
the sun, but were he and our luminary TO
change places We would receive a hundred
times more light than at present. Certain
phenomena concerning Sirius led to the
conclusion that his night through space
was exceedingly rapid and that his proper
motion was subject 10 periodic variations,
which could be accounted for only on the
basis of an invisible satellite revolving in
his vicinity. In February, Of 1862. the
younger Clark happened TO turn his great
lS-inch glass on Sirius and was astonished
TO discover the companion whose existence
had long been suspected and was now
made certain and which satisfactorily ex-
planned his eccentricities of motion.
In the catalogue for February the con-
stellation of the Lion will come up for con-
sideration, as also the planet Saturn:
]. III. S.