Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-31

tended indefinitely would cut the starry
sphere is continually. although very slow
~ shifting its place among the stars In
SUCH wise that the TWO points at which
ii crosses the suns path-tha ..anuinoyes''
are slowly sliding along that path toward
ne west. The rate of this movement
"hlcn Is known as the procession of the
equinoNes. is such that the two crosziurr
points perform a complete revolution Of M,
heavens in little less than NJ 0po wears
for this reason some 1000 years aso the
sun entered the constellation Leo a month
Garner than Ii does now. Two thousand
years earlier it entered this constellation
az about the time Of the summer solstice-
the list of June. in our present mode of
reckoning AT a time still earlier-six or
seven thousand years earficr-the sun en-
tered Leo upon passing the vernal equinox
SO that as season marker Leo then held
the position which was held by the constel-
lation Aries at the time when our present
calendar was established. II it were possI-
bic. therefore, 10 determine what season Of
the year Leo originally represented. a very
interesting date would be established.
Leo in Mythology.
There are several facts which seem to bear
upon this question, though their precise
bearing has not yet been satisfactorily de-
termi1ed- One of them is a NEUROLOGICAL
fact The Twelve Labors of Hercules are
held with a high gree Of probability to
stand for the twelve imagined performances
of the sun in the course Of his arduous pas
Sage through the twelve signs Of the
zodiac. The first Of these ''labors'' was the
Staying of the Nemean Lion. whence we
may fairly infer that at the time when the
Hercules myth was given its final shape
Leo was regarded the first sign of the
zodiac. and marked the b. ginning of The
year. Again Leo was regarded the first
and most important of the signs by the
Chaldaean astrologers- II was the House
OF the sun and formed sort NJ basis in
the casting of the horoscope. The Chal-
daean astroIogy was carried into Egypt.
and Leo continued to be the first astro-
logical sign in Egypt, as IL had been IN
Chaldaea. as Is shown by two sculpturrd
z0liacs found at Dendera, in both of which
Leo has the first place. In this prominence
given to Leo by the astrologers there IL
doubtless some significance. and We may
reasonably conjecture that il is due to the
position Of the constellation with respect
either to the summer solstice or the vernal
equinox at the time when the old Chalda-
cans were working out their scheme Cor
reading among the stars the destinies of
kings and nations Thus we may get
half glimpse of an ancient date which fur
Their researches among tombs and cunci-
form inscriptions may yet bring out with
ciearneSS. To assume that Leo marked
originally the yernal equinox would give 70
the zodiac an antiquity of over ten thous-
and years. So great age may seem I'M
probable, but it is not impossible.
Giacobinrs Comet.
. January 81 a faint comet was discovered
by Giaccbini at Nice. in the constellation
Eridanus. about ten degrees directly south
OF the star Nenkar in the snout of Cetus-
Since its discovery II has been moving
slowly to the northwest. through Cetus
and in Pisces toward the bead II Andro-
media. 1t should BE- tonight. according to
its calculated course. five or six degrees a
little west Of south from the lower of The
two stars in the head Of Aries setting ut
about 80 pm. 1t IS visible only through a
large telescope.
The Planets.
Mercury has been a morning star since
March ~ and will he at its greatest eron-
CATION west from The sun-2T degrees 10
minutes-on the 2tst Of this month. Dur
irg the second half of the month it may.
therefore he seen in the east an hour or so
before sunrise.
Verus is nrx a magnificent object IN the
western eve ming sky until long after .
o clock. She will continue - increase IN
brightness until June l. on the 18th II this
month she will be al her greatest elonga-
tinn east from the siIn-t5 degrees ~ MIN
utes-ind will remain above the horizon
until about 1850 pm.
Mars Is a morning star. near tn" verraI
equinox in th.. canStt llatiCn Pisces rising
at about m He WI pass rom the
southern u tho northern hemisphere in the
early part Of this month.
Jupiter IN lire ScHrp--sn is an evening
star. rising at about II pm.
Saturn. IN SIgitt8riuS. is still a morning
star. rlsnG about ! am.
Jtrar'7.s- "A 80 So>T-.'r n 'es. than two 30
Greos sout beast OF J'yptter. rises with shat
pl- I.et al i.CoCt II nm.
Neptune is an evening star. in Taurus,
setting At about midfiignt.
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