Evening star., 1897-03-06
THE STARS IN MARCH
Six Zodiacal Consultations Above
the Horizon.
The CELESTIAL CALENDAR
Three Evening Stars of Great
Beauty.
HOW THEY MAY BE LOCATED

Written for The Evening Star
TIE six zodiacal consultations which are
now above the horizon at pm. named in
order from west to east. are Aries, Taurus,
Gemini, Cancer. Leo and Virgo.
Aries, the Ram. is marked by a pair of
stars of the third magnitude. rather closer
than the two pointers in the Great Dip
per which range in a direction northeast
and southwest. These two stars are in the
RAMS horns. as the figure is depicted Upon
the old celestial charts. The upper and
brighter of the two is Alpha Arietis and is
commonly called. for short, simply Arietis.
The lower is Sheretan- Near this lower
star is star of the fourth magnitude,
which is placed by the chart maker in the
RAMS left These three stars consti-
tute practically the whole of the constella-
ton Aries. there being in it no other star of
above the fifth magnitude. How they came
to suggest the notion of ram Is one of the
thousand and one mysteries which still
sCiOp The old considerations in spite of all
that has been written in explanation of
them Aries is the first of the zodiacal con-
stenations. and in a manner leads the flock.
and it has been suggested that the constel-
latiCn owes its name to this circumstance.
The explanation is rather far-fetched. and
Is given here for only what it is worth.
Taurus.
as fragnentary as the Ram. 1t consists of
little more than a head and shoulders and
pair of very long horns. The head is
marked by the star Aldebaran. of the first
magnitude. and the V-shaped cluster of the
HyaJ:es- The still more beautiful cluster Of
the PieiddaS IS in the Bulls shoulder. The
tips of the horns marked by two stars
of the third magnitude. which form a
rather noticeable pair about twice wide
as that IN Aries. and which lie nearly mid
way between Capella. in Auriga. and Betel-
geuse in the right shoulder of Orion. The
most bull-Hke feature of this constellation
is the face. formed by the Hyades. the
bright star Adebaran making an excellent
eye Indeed. this star is sometimes called
the Bulls Eye. 1t seems not unlikely that
his very suggestive face was the germ Of
the constellation
Derivation of Names.
Tne name Hyades was supposed anciently
TO be derive ed from Greek word which
means 10 rain Hence the Romans called
these stars Pluviae. word which may be
rendered Rain stars. There was notion
among them. which probably had no other
foundation than this supposed Significance
of the name, that upon the rising of these
stars rainy weather was in order. Another
derivation Of the name was from the word
ays. which means swine The name
might. therefore. be rendered Pigs. and this
anne, in the Latin form Suculae, was, in
-tct. common name for these stars
among the Roman rustics. Now. pigs Is
rot q particularly poetic name for star
c!lsI-r. but If. bearing in mind that the
original siar na'Lers Were neither poets nor
astronomers, we will look at this cluster
from the point of view OF a simple N inded
rustic, We must admit that 1t would DE
hard 10 find a name more appropriate. The
bright star Is, of course, TO be regarded as
the SOW.
Capeiia.
There is another star in this part of the
heavens the name of which is little mys-
tifying. but upon which this Interpretation
OF the name Hyades. if We are right with
regard to il. may throw little light. The
star referred TO IS Capella, the She-goat-
the brilliant star now to be seen in the
northwest, nearly midway between the hor.
izOn and the zenith Capella IS in the
right shoulder of Auriga. the Wagner. anJ
marks the position of the goat. which tn.
cnartE.aker represents carried upon the
Nagoner's left arm. The Wagner alse
carries In his lap the goats three kias
How came this goat and these kids in th'
heavens2 Near the star Cdpella Is q yer,
pretty little triangle Of fourth-magnitud,
stars. which may possibly afford an
swer to this question. What could be NOR,
natural than for the ancient star gaZer
after having seen in the Aldebaran and tn
litter of small stars about 1t a anC
pigs. TO see in this other bright star an'
its three little companion stars goat ant
kids? II should be said. however. to pre-
vent Misrepresentation. that there Is n
evidence that Aldebaran was ever know
the Sow. though the Hyades were Ger
tainly called the Pigs
Gcmini.
To return now to the zodiac proceeti!n
eastward from Taurus We come next to III
constellation Gemini. the Twins, the tw
brighter stars of which. Castor and PolluS
may be found. at o'clock almos
directly overhead Upon the chart tn
T,rtn tad
two bright stars being in their heads Will
their feet about midway between thei
heads and the constellation Orion now /
miGhcdVenS in the southwest No one VIII
has ever searched this part of the heaven
for these twin youths will need to be tal
that they not here. CnquestionabIy tn
original Twins were simply these brigh
stars. and nothing more They were doub!.
twin stars. not twin youths. The char
maker alone is responsible for these fig
ures. Furthermore, the names Castor an
Pollux do not belong TO these stars b
right. but 10 entirely distinct pair
twins. the heroes of legend. who If com
parative mythology can be trusted. Ia
originally no connection with the stars by
were purely NEUROLOGICAL. The origins
Castor and Pollux. the brothers of tia
Helen whose fatal beauty led to the sieg
of Troy-the Dark one and the Bright on
as their names signify-were simply pei
sonifications of night and day. Hence III
story that they shared between them III
gift of immortality. enc of them bein
above the ground. living, while the 9th.
was dead in the lower wcrld-a story aui,
in harmony with the old NEUROLOGICAL cor
ception of night and day. but which has r
point whatever when told of these tw