The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-03-11

and Pollux do not belong to thcuc stars BY
ribht. hut an entirely distinct pair IT twins,
the nerves Of legend. who. II comparative
mythology can be trusted. had originally
no sonnection with tho stars. but were
purely NEUROLOGICAL. The original Castor
ana fol,ux. the brothers OF that Helen
whose fatal beauty led to the siege of Troy
- the Dark one and the Bright ono. AZ their
names signiiy-were simply personiflca-
ttons OF Night and Day. Hence tho story
that they shared between thcm the gift
OF Immortality, ono OF them being above
ground. living, while the other was dead Ia
the lower world-a atory quite In harmony
with the old NEUROLOGICAL conception Of
Might and Day but which has no point
whatever when told Of these two stars.
There has been at some time In the past a
II king up Of two distinct sois of twins,
very evidently - an astronomical and =
mythological
Cancer, the Crab. which COMES ncxt rs
we proceed eastward. Is 40 poor in stars
visible to the naked eye it's brighcs, being
scarcely up to the third magnitude that II
can best be located from its position be :
tween Gcinini and Leo. We might pass
this constellation without further notice
were II not for the fact that Il contains
ono OF the nretticst tclcscupic star clusters
IN the heavens -Pracss9c, the bcehivei or
the Manager. Tor the name admits Of either
Interpretation, situated at a point about
orc third OF the distance from polluN to
Rceulus. A triangle OF fourth magnitude,
stars will be found here each ante Of whlrh
is about five degrees IN iength~-the dis-
tance apart of Castor and Toliux. and OF the
Pointers" In the Great pippvr. rracscpe
is near the center Of this Triangle. To the
naked ego u appears as flcck OF ncbulous
light a field glass, or even good opera
glass. VIII show Il distinctly an n star
cluster though to sec u In its full beauty
requires u telescope Of some slSo Tho
two more enstcrly stars In the triangle re-
tered Johanna and Delta Cancri--were
known anciently as the Asclli or Asses.
obviously because of their position on each
side OF the Manager Here again we come
upon rustic name for stars. which shuu,,
give uE little more confidence IN our
view Of tho IIyados and of the Goat and
Kids
Sun proceeding eastward. we next strike
tho Slckio--anothcr object bearing a name
which smacks OF agriculture. and which
NIL must admit, was given to this group o,
stars for sufficient reason. The Sickle
| {, rms the bushy head and Shoulders oil
Leo. the lion. In ita handlo Is tho brigh,
star Regulus, sometimes called Cor Lconis
the Hons heart. The hlndouartors OF ths
about tho nl2e OF a howl of tho Dipper
formed by four stars, of which ona is of tn,
second magnitude, one of the third and tw,
Of the fourth. The brightest of them. De
nehola--a nsmc contracted from nenah n
| Asad, tail OF the Iion~-is the brush OF the
lions tail. as the animal is depicted on q
chart. Ills bind legs extend downward
| across the celestial equator into tho south
crn Aemisphere; his forclcgs extend for
ward. the lion being represented in tho act
| OF sprinHing on HIS prey.
| The constellation Virgo. which follows
| Loo, IL st,ll--at . o'clock--partly below III,
eastern horizon It's brightest star, Spicn
| the Wheat-ear. hus Just risen, but Is toc
| low TO be visible
| II was noted above that Aries IN tho flrs'
| uf tho aodiacai consultations. Formerly
| the sun. upon passing the verual equinox
| or, In other words, upon crossinR the ceiaR'
| tial equator from south TO north, entered
this constellation. The two points at whicl
| tho sun crosses tho equator the two e1ui'
| noxes are not fixed, however, but are slid
| INK along the cciiptic, or suns pain. ~ :
| direction OF east to west, at rate whicl
| in tho last two Thousand years has carrie,
| them almost onc-twcltth II the way hrouh'
| the heavens or Just tho length oil on
Sign These RlgnB Htiii continue 10 ~
| roeiS med from the equinox, ana as a oonoo
| qu,nce they have ceased to coincide IN 20
| rition with tho consultations which bea
| the same names. Thus, on the goth OF nv
month. at a. M. Washington mean time
| the sun win pass the vurnal equinox. ana
| according to the almanac. VIII enter ar
| les This means the sign" not the con
| st Station ArleH. Tho sun viii really thol
onLor tho constellation Pisces, which pre-
| codes Aries ana VIII not reach thus lAt,'
constellation until about April 20 1t WI
than enter tho sign" Taurus. and 30 N
along the whole line. The sun now oli'ti
Zach sign a fun month before IL enters IN
| constellation of the same name