The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-10
ASTRONOMY FOR MARCH.

nitlidc stars=-Sirius, PrOcyon, beteigeuss'
Rlge1 and Aldebaran--now occupies at ps IN. 4
the southwestern quadrant OF the heavens In
striking contrast with this brilliantly deco
rated region, the southeastern quadrant, IN
which the principal constellation is the enor-
mously long Hydra, or Water Snake contains
but ono star which reaches the second mag
nitude, II we except Spica, now barely ABOVE
the horizon, a little south of east. rms star'
conspicuous for its very loneliness, is COT
Hydrae the Hydras Heart. II stanus ~, apou.
half way from the horizon 10 .ne ns !, bn.a i
little east OF the meridian. Tine hyura hoau,
marked by short curved line oil three OF
four stars, of which the GENITAL ana prisnt,ht
is of the third magnitude, is above and a, .ho
right OF tho heart and very nearly so"'".
Turning to the west, point the finger to the
exact western point in the horizon ana .race
an imaginary line on the sky, passing through
the center Of Orion, degrees south OF fro-
cyon and on to the exact eastern point IN
the horizon. You have located the eeies,iai
equator. the distance of which from your
zenith, at the point where 1t crosses the me-
ridian measured in degrees, is the same as
the latitude of your station. All stars hor'h |
of this line are In the northern hemisphere |
all stars south OF It are in the southern heml-
sphere Barely above the horizon, between |
west and northwest Jnay be seen the palf on
stars which mark the head OF Aries. beein-
ming at point in the horizon about midway
between these stars and the exact west sweep |
n second line on the sky, passing between me
Pleiades and Aidebaran. about degrees sou.h
of pollux-the more southerly OF the Twins.
now nearly oyerhcad-close to the star Reg
ullls in the hands of the Sickle. ana on 10
the eastern horizon, striking 1t Just nofth OK
Splca. aud you will have located the suns
apparent path through the heavens-tne
ecIIntic Ms this imaginary line is known III
astronomy. :,
one can not too soon iamliiariHe plhsei.
with the location IN the actual heavens ,s Nv.
merely on chart, of these important lines
halves of great circles, their other haiVes
being below the horizon
The eclptic runs along the center of the
belt OF twelve CONSIDERATIONS Known ,p mis- Us sne
diacal consultations now above the horizon at
~ el9ys, h"iieu , a.. ~ n,,;nb tbo s,,n
masses through them) are Aries the Ram,
located by means of the pair OF stars just re-
fSrred TO; iaufus me bu,l, niar ,S.s oy eae
iiViaues, III i.S shuuuei' any tus VI Is ~,
dsh star OF Aldeoarah, IN MS race uehlHIi,
the Twins, eohtain niH ths uo'Hp'e pa,t VI
stars, Nustor anu ioiluS; Nan'ot' ~ h, 80,
an nlSosPiCrous uvsis'.liasiom, lta "a
5sarS ps,s VA my w I'm NJ i,
.no iloi eHsHy lV'atsu NY means % tiu WI
KNOWN ohhlei aRu vTso. .ht Mu'ush, "haen
contains tne nlisht slar epiua Eten ~ Vi e,tse
COMMENTATORS occupies n section oi tne Iohac
my - - - - ]
the exact length oil the astrouohlcal sisn'
inc more h"taoie Va INC CONCENTRATIONS no"
to be seen north OF the zodiac are the Great
Bear QIrsa Maior) the most conspicuous part
=, ...,ta,, L. H. Go, n,,,,or .ho ,r,,o,
va "U" " '' pr
(Dracol both In the northeast and Auriga,
Perseus Cassiopeia and a norton of andre
,,oaa In ,ho ror,h,,os,
'' - ~ nv W 80
Auilsa contains tuo plul'aht star Sapeiia.
now hlsn IN the northwest between thls stat
ana the horizon may De seen Tour stars OF lhe
second magnitude the uppermost oil whicn Is
Alpha iersel III the boay OF Ferseus Inc
staf oet9w ana mo 10 tno ieit o, ,nis Is 'he va
riapie Aisoi. Inc lower TWO peiohs 10 Anofo-
media, 49,
NaSslopeIa ls easily recosniheu by the w !
ike arrangement OF us hVe pflghtest stars ,
THE LION. I
Last month we spent our half hour with
Orion; tonight we will look at Leo.
me-,
iniS is one Oh mo oesV marked Oh 'he olu S
The Sickle forms the Lions :
head and shoulders His hindquarters may =
be located by means OF q rectangular figure :
ol about the size OF the bowl OF the D!pper, Q
formed by four stars, of which one is of the J
second one of the third and two OF the fourth {
magnitude. The two more easterly of these @
stars are In the tail, Deueboa the brighter of :
the two, being in the brush of the tall which :,
Is usually represented raised and curved into :
4 loop. The hind legs extend downward and [
ttll NAIut thc ioItpaNS lpIWuru, inc Leo Oh q
he chart is decidedly animated figure, when p
we'll drawn, being represented in the act OF {
;pringing on his prey \
AT the present time the SYN enters tits con-
'tellation about the middle of August and re- =,
mains in IT until the middle of September ,
Upon leaving Leo the sun enters the con
'tellation Virgo, and soon thereafter crosses
he ne'--about the 2lst OF September--and h
'nters the southern hemisphere.
But this arrangement is comparatively re- W
ont. The sun has not always crossed the c
CELESTIAL equator so soon after leaving Leo as >,
I does now, and hereby hangs tale While =
he apparent path OF the sun among the s.
tars, one-half of which we have Just traced, W
s unchnnging in its location, this is not d
rue of the equator The celestial oq,iator<is cl
he great circle In which the plane of the n
arlhs equator, extended indefinitely cuts the Al
larry sphere and, owing to a slow gyratory Il,
notion of the earth. as 1t spins on its axis, p
his Imaginary line is continually, although b.
cry slowly shifting its place among the Is
tars. in such way that the two points at OF
which it crosses the suns path-the 6duinoxos fc
Slide slowly along that path toward the ~,
rest The rate of this movement known nc | .'