The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-07-08
WondroasIy Beautiful Are the Brilliant Gems
That Stud the Firmament This Month.
EVERY PART OF THE SKIES HAS CHARM
The Telescope Makes Clearer beauties
which the Mixed Eye Cannot Fail
60 Discover as the Consultations
Slowly Rotate Abound the Ccies.
tial Pole, q DIAL of Eternity.
philadelphia Ledger.)

vision the month which bears the name |
OF the greatest OF the Caesars. Perhaps
1t is due to languor induced by the
heightening temperatula. perhas,s the
glories of the spring, crowned with the
rapture OF June, have for the moment
exhausted the limpid fountain of rhym-
ing verse, but the mature verdure OF
July fields and forests certainly merits
THE fullness OF poetic tribute, and the
exquisite skies, which. during the month
bend over the American paradise, bear
eloquent witness to Its charms.
Although the great consultations of
the winter are missing, the July heavens
are studded with gems, and every Sec
tion of the sky has an individual a.Sr2c-
tion. The glare of urban illumination
forever obliterates from the field of view
OF city 9targazers the delicate light OF
the smaller stars. and the dreamy beau
ty of the Milky Way; but in the rural
districts. when the heat OF the day has
been dissipated, say at 10 o'clock, the
PARKWAY sun comes crowding 10 view,
and the stupendous arch of the galaxy
sweeping northward from Scorp!o seems
almost upon the point of uncuriaining
the myriads of orbs whose mingled,
fieecy light constitutes Its mysterious
charm.
At p. m. the celebrated Dragon and
the Little Bear are above Polarls The
Great Bear has quite notceably swung
TO the West, while Cepheus is east of the
Pole, and Cassiopein below the east. The
striking outlines of the Great Bear, best
known, perhaps, rs the Dipper. are also
designated In England as "Charles's
Vain" (wagon): the bowl nstitutinE
the wagon. and the three STARS in the
handle THE horses. 1t is sometimes
called The Plough"
Nothing seems more certain and en-
during than the slow movement of these
conscientious around la nal nSti n1 mol
a dial of eternity. The movement is two
foid-the diurnal swing OF the majestic
figures, due to the earth's axial rotation,
and the infinitely slower itraversing OF
the dial, caused by the orbital revolu-
ton. But these hour hands will lose
their symmetry as the ages pass, for
the proper motions of some of the princi-
Pal stars will carry them out of the
alignment so familiar to our eyes In
due time the great celestial wagon"
VIII di;integrajte, and the horses" break
their sublime succession.
he Little Dolphin, better known as
jobs Coffn," now sparkles in the -, =,
II Us an engaging diamond Of modeItstely
bright stars. Its birth as n constellation
Is supposed to have been Neptune's re-
ward to the dolphin, which wooed for
MIN the Amphitrite. This savors of ,yhe
Hlooern myth of the mermaid. and If II
De too fishy, the reader NAV choose tbe
other horn of the dilemma. and bel,eve
thaiu this is the very steed of uhe sen
winch bore Arion to shore when h.,
Threw himself into the waves TO oscar
the pirates N'o"pe
Weary exactly midway to the meridian
Is Cygnus, the swan into which OWL
Gus appears to have been transfor,pal
IN order that he might be very near his
Inatchiess harp. Situated in the MILKY
way the downy bosom of the grncefnI
Sipu Is peaecked with brilliants the
N fln.f Ala
ihnumerable tiny astral points. The
well-known cross is easily trace,hia
and the star in the foot. Albireo. is n
beautiful telescope double, CONSISTING
OF ione golden and one small blue
The Harp dyra,) higher YET. loses
nolie OF us beauty as the season grows
vega is easily the leader of tho Nnrth
ern Stars. but her pure starbeams arc
rs moaest as they are lustrous. The
bird above the horizon, but we shall
view its splendors to better advantagn
next month.
ALONG THE ECLIPTIC
Capricornus Is coming up, preceded by
Sagittarius. Scorpio occupies the soutn
Libra is beyond the meridian, Virgo on
the way 10 the western horizon, and 7. 20
is fast sinking. The great Scorpio is 81
conspicuous that one could not fail 70
recognize him. His mighty tail sweens
around into the Milky Way, and close
~ - 81 " SoMS VI lile most FASCINATING
star clusters and nebulae. Mytholopv
ascribes this constellation to the scor.
pion which fatally stung Orion at Tho
instigation OF Juno. The little mill.
dipper' in Sagittarius is very pleasimn
and easily made out. o.
In the southwest the Crater ia sa+t,no
while Coryus is just above.
North of the Ecliptic are found Gar
pentarius Cor Cphiucus), "the serpent-
bearer" 1t requires considerable ina
gination to construct the mammotb
hgure OF venerable man, holding u,
his grasp an immense serpent. Aescu-
laptus, physician to the Argonauts ara
god OF medicine, assumed the guise OF n
serpent when summoned to Rome at q
time of the plague. His skill evoked tho
admiring strains OF contemporary noets
and Socrates Is said to have sacri6caG
to him among his last earthly acts.
Hercules towers near the zenith tba
Northern Crown is almost on this meri
dlan, and west OF 1t are Bootes, Cor
Carroll and Berenice's Hair.
THE DUMBBELL NEBULA.
Between the Dolphin and Lyra 10 a.,
asterism called Vulpecula. IT has nothn
Ing to attract the eye save the portion
OF the Milky Way which passes tbro,,ph
its field. but it contains a CURIOSITY In
the shape Of the "Dumbbell NebIila ="
It Is visible only in the telescope. and 10
find 1t line must be drawn from
Beta and Gamma in the Harm TO the
Dolphin. The nebula will be found after
some little searching perhaps about
half WAY between Albireo and the Dol
phtD, IT n well named, for IL bears a
close reEem blance to the familiar in,nla