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

among the stars one-half of which we
have just traced. is unchanging in its To-
cation, this is not true of the equator
The celestial equator is the great circle In
which the plane of the earth's equator,
extended indefinitely. cuts the starry
! sphere, and, owing to a slow gyratory mo-
-tion of the earth. it spins on its axis,
this Imaginary line is continually al
though very slowly. shifting It's place
among the stars. in such way that the
two points at which il crosses the suns
rath-the equinoxes. as these points are
called-slide slowly along that path toward
the west. The rate OF this movement
known as the procession of the eauinoxes"
Is such that each of these two crossing
. points performs a complete revolution OF
the heavens in about 260D years. For this
i reason, some two thousand years ago the
sun entered Leo month earlier than IL
does now. At an epoch two thousand
years earlier il entered this constellation
about the time of the summer solstice At
a still earlier epoch-siX or seven thousand
years earier-the sun entered Leo upon
passing the vernal equinox. so that Leo
as season-maker then occupied the posi-
ton which is now held by the sign
Aries, that is it was a spring constella-
ton.
Now, there are some reasons for thinking
formed Leo actually did have this position
with reference to the vernal equinox AMI
marked the beginning of the year-a very
interesting fact If IL can be osta blishcd.
since il would give to the zodiac an an
uquity CT some ten thousand years.
Labors Of Hercules.
One piece of evidence bearing upon this
point is the NEUROLOGICAL story of Hercules
The twelve labors of Hercules have been
held, with great show of probability, to
stand for twelve adventures which the
| sun was imagined TO meet with in his pass
age through the twelve signs of the zodiac
me first OF these ''labors' was the staying
OF the Nemaean lion, whence We NAV fairly
inier that at the time when the Hercules
myth was given its final form Leo was re-
gafded as the first of the zodiacal signs
Again in the old Chaldaesn astrology Leo
vas regarded as the first sign of the 70
diac 1t was the House of the SUN and
served as a sort of basis In the casting Of
horoscopes. The Chaldaean astroicgy was
Carried into Egypt, and Leo continued to
De the nrst of the signs IN Egypt. as it had
neen IN Chaidaea, as is shown by two
scuiptured Zodiacs found at Dendera in
both or which Leo has the first place
THESE pieces of evidence both point in
the same direction. and, thcrgh far from
establishing conclusvely the age of Leo.
they certainly tend to invest the Sickle
bearer with a yenerableness wffch mus,
heiShten our interest i'm him.
The skies above us tonight are full of OBJ
Jects suited to a small telescope or even
an opera glass. We will examine a few OF
them.
AT about three-ffths of the distance from
Reguius to the Twins is a wide pair of
stars. which, though of only the third mag
nitude, are noticeable from the scarcity of
stars in this region-the constellation Can
Ger These stars are the Aselli, or Asses
Nearly midway between them may be seen
small nebulous spot, which even an opera
glass VIII show to be a star cluster. Ii Is
Praesepe. the Manger-or the Beehive for
the name may mean either-one of the most
justly celebrated of the telescope clusters
1t is fine object for even small tele-
scope
Turn now to the northwest and find the
star Alpha Persei. already pointed out
About midway between this star and the
center of Cassiopeia may be seen another
small nebulous spot, which will also prove
to DE star cluster, when examined with
our opera glass 1t is the famous cluster
in the hilt of the sword of Perseus. The
cluster is double one there being In il
two points of stellar concentration. 1t is
more beautiful object, if possible, even
than Praesepe.
Interesting Double Stars.
Mizar, the middle star in the handle of
the Dipper, has close beside il star of the
sixth magnitude, which bears the Arabic
rame Alcor, the Faint-one. Mizar and AL
cor form a sort of naked-eye double star;
that is, they present the appearance that
very many stars which the unaided eye
sees single have when they are examined
with a telescope. The opera glass VIII bring
show a number of fainter stars near il. A
small telescope will show that Mizar itself
is double. 1t is, indeed, a favorite object
for the possessor of such an instrument
and 1t is especially interesting as the first
discovered of the double stars, of which
objects about Zoo are now catalogue1
Other double stars, now visible, which are
within the reach of a small telescope are:
Castor-components white and nearly equal;
Gamma Virgins 0he third-ma gnitnde star
now close beside Jupiter)-component
equal and white; Cor Carroll, marked on the
planisphere at the right OF the Dipper's
handle-principal component white, COM
panion smaller and OF a violet tint; Gam
ma Andromedae, second magnitude. mid
way between Aries and Cassiopeia-princi-
pal component yellow, companion smaller
and green, one of the most splendid of the
colored doubles; Gamma Leonis. the third
star in the Sfckel, reckoned from Reguius-
components white and nearly equal, pretty
close for a small telescope: Rigel, in the
left foot of aforementioned here rather
because 1t is exceedingly pretty when well
seen, owing to the brirliancy Of the prin-
cipal star, than because it suits a small
telescope. The companion is white and
faint, and to see IT well requires a three
inch glass, at the least.
The Planets.
Neither Mercury nor Venus will be visible
this month, both being too close to the sun.
Mars is a morning star, in Capricorn, ris-
the sun.
Jupiter, in Virgo. is an evening star, ris-
ing at about pm. He is now retrograd-
ing, as can be observed by noting his
change of position with reference to the
star Gamma Virgins. Jupiter will be I'm
opposition to the sun, crossing the meridian
at midnight and shining with Is greatest
brdlliancy for this year, on the 25th-
Saturn and Uranus, both in the constella-
ton Scorpio. are morning stars. rising at
about ! am.
Neptune, invisible to the naked eye. is an
evening star, in Taurus at the point fndi-
Gated on the planisphere.
On the 10Th, at an, Washington time,
the sun win pass the vernal equinox, en-
tering the northern hemisphere, and spring
will begin.
AFTER ALL" observed the Philosopher,
considering our mercurfal nature In the
United States. II is just as well that
most of our diplomats speak only one lam
guage. A Spaniard, for instance can call
our representatives thieves, liars and cow
-