Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-05

ton Is the enormously long Hydra, or
Water snake, contains but one star which
reaches the second magnitude, if we ex-
cept Spica, now barely above the horizon
a little south of east. This lone second
magnitude star is Cor Hydrae, the Hydra
Heart. 1t stands about midway between
| the horizon and the zenith. a little east
Of the meridian. The Hydra's Head, mark
ed by a short curved line of three or four
stars. of which the central and brightest
| is of the third magnitude is above and at
| the right of the heart and very nearly
south.
Trace with a finger line on the sky
| beginning at the exact western point in
| the horizon, passing through the center
| OF Orion, five degrees south of Procyon
| and on to the exact eastern point in the
| horizon. You have located the celestial
| equator. All stars north of this line are
| in the northern hemisphere; all stars south
| of 1t in the southern hemisphere. At the
| point where it crosses the meridian its
| distance from your zenith, measured in de-
! greeS. is the same as the latitude of your
station.
Barely above the horizon, between west
| and northwest, may be seen the pair of
| stars which mark the head of Aries. Be-
ginning at point in the horizon about
midway between these stars and the exact
",
| ing between the Pleiades and Aldebaran,
about five degrees south of Pollux-the
more southerly of the Twins, now nearly
overhead-close to the star Regulus, in
the handle of the Sickle. and on to the
| eastern horizon, striking it at point just
north of Spica. and you will have located
| the half of the suns apparent path through
the heavens which is now above the hozi-
ION. This is the line known in astronomy
as the ecliptic.
The ecliptc and the equator are both
great circles of the heavens, which cross
each other at two Numerically opposite
points, one of which is at about three
fifths OF the distance from Reguius to
Spica. One caEnot too soon famiiiarize
himself with the location of these impor-
tant circles, not merely on a chart but in
the actual heavens.
Locating the Consultations.
The elliptic runs along the center of the
belt of twelve consultations known as the
zodiac-that is, the animal (girdle). The
zodiacal consultations now above the hori-
| ION at o'clock, named in order from west
| to east this being the direction in which
the sun passes through them) are: Aries,
the Ram|ocated by means of the pair of
stars already referred to, Taurus, the Bull
marked by the Pleiades in his shoulder and
the bright, reddish star Aldebaran in his
face; Gemini, the Twins-containing the
notable pair Of stars Castor and Pollux;
Cancer, the Graham inconSpicuous con-
Sl6ldtOu, It's DTlSultSt StdIS DelHS VI OHly
the third magnitude; Leo, the Lion-easily
located by means of the Sickle; and Virgo,
the Maiden, which contains the bright star
Spica. Each Of these considerations occu-
pies a section of the zodiac approximately
thirty degrees long, which is the exact
length Of the astronomical sign"
the more notable of the consultations
now to be seen north Of the zodiac are the
Great Bear Ursa Major, the most con-
spicuous part of which is the Great Dipper.
the Dragon Draco), both of which are in
the northeast. and Auriga, Perseus. Cassie
peia and a portion Of Andromeda in the
northwest.
Auriga contains the brilliant star Capella,
now well up toward the zenith in the north
west. Between this star and the horizon
may be seen four stars of the second mag
nitude. The uppermost of these is Alpha
Persei in the body of Perseus; below and
to the left of this is Algol, the famous
variable star; the lowermost two belong to
Andromeda.
Last month we spent our half hour with
Orion. Tonight we will take a look at
Leo.
This is one of the best marked of the old
consultations. The weli-known Sickle
forms the Lions head and shoulders. HIS
hind quarters may be located by means of
a rectangular figure of about the size of
the bowl of the Great Dipper. formed by
four stars, Of which one is of the second,
one of the third and two of the fourth
magnitude. The more easterly two of
these stars are in the tail. Denebola, the
brighter Of them, being in the brush of the
tail, which is usually represented raised
and curved into a loop. The hind legs ex-
tend downward and rearward; the fore
paws forward. The Leo Of the chart is a
decidedly animated figure. when well
drawn. being represented in the act of
springing on his prey.
At the present time the sun enters this
constellation about the middle of August
and remains In 1t until the middle of Sep
TENDER. Upon leaving Leo the sun enters
the constellation Virgo, and soon there
after crosses the nnes-about the Dist of
September-and enters the southern hemis-
phere.
But this arrangement is comparatively
recent. The sun has not always crossed