Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-05
THE HEAVENS IN JULY
Consultations That Are Now
Above the Horizon.
STUDYING THE STARS
CELESTIAL BODIES THAT ARE OF
PARTICULAR INTEREST.
Hobby Horse and Milk Dipper-Ser-
pent and Serpent Holder
Planets of the Month.
Written for The Evening Star,

Written for The Evening Star.
Seven stars of the first magnitude viii be
found above the horizon at o'clock this
evening. They are Vega alpha Lyrae), at
two-thirds of the distance from horizon to
zenith. little north of east: Arcturus
alpha Bo-otis), at about the same altitude
between west and southwest: Splca alpha
Virginis). midway between Arcturus and
the southwestern horizon; Reguius alpha
Leonis), Just setting between west and
northwest: Antares alpha ScorpiD, nearly
on the meridian at one-fourth of the dis
lance from horizon to zenith: Affair alpha
Aquilae), at a somewhat greater altitude,
between east and southeast; Alpha Cygni.
in the midheavens in the northwest.
The most attractive quarter Of the heav-
ems on a July evening is the southeastern
quadrant. By o'clock in the early part
of the month, hour earlier toward its
close. this region may be seen beautifully
decorated with the sparkling array of stars
which form the Scorpion, SagittariuS and
the lower part of Ophiuchus. Although but
one of these stars-Antares-is of the first
magnitude, they make up in number what
they lack in brilliancy, and the effect of
the combination Is to render this region
hardly less respondent than that which
cont aims Orion and his retinue of first
magnitude stars. Like Orion. the Scorpion
is situated on the border of and partly I'm
the Milky Way. and, like Orion again, with
whom it is associated in mythology, If this
is the very scorpion which caused that
bOaStful huntSmanS death 1T is one of the
few consultations that we can make some
thing of. 1t requires but slight effort of
the imagination to see In the group of stars
at the right of Antares pair of scorpion
claws. and to trace the Semblance of a tail
curvfng downward on the left The figure
q cn striking that n fall IN
nize it. One is, therefore, somewhat sur
prised to find upon consulting a chart that
the stars of which he has made the claws
do not belong to this constellation, but
form part of Libra. the Balance. which
precedes the Scorpion on the west. The
fact Is a robbery has been committed in
this region Of the heavens The constella-
ton Libra, though reckoned by the Egyp-
tians was unknown to the Greeks, its place
being supplied by the Claws" and when
the older constellation was restored to the
zodiac. as one OF the honors accorded the
Emperor Augustus. 1t was made up of stars
taken from the Virgin and the Scorpion
between which it stands.
Hobby Horse and Milk Dipper.
At the left or east of the Scorpion stands
Sagittarius, the Archer. represented on the
old fashioned celestial chart as a centaur-
a monster half human and half a horse
drawing a bow and apparently in the act
of slaughtering the now harmless Scorpion.
Thus drawn the constellation is hopelessy
ina ginary. Nothing bearing the slightest
resemblance to this fanciful figure can be
detected here. And yet. with the aid of
little imagination. one can readily make
out what may have been the germ of the
constellation in quite noticeable group Of
eight or ten stars. which are suggestive
of horse with rider upon his back The
figure is exceedingly crude, to be sure
such a horse and man as a schOolboy might
n & n
striking that 1t could hardly be overlooked
by one who had set himself to searching
for animal shapes among the stars 1t
forms, however. only the bow and arrow
of the actual constellation.
Five of the stars of the group referred
to above-the left-hand ive-form the figure
of dipper with a short handle. This is
the Milk Dipper," called, apparently,
because it is in a position to scoop UP a
portion of the Milky Way. on the border
of which 1t lies.
The Serpent and Serpent-Holder.
Above the Archer. with one foot danger
ously near the Scorpion. stands Ophiuchus,
the serpent-hoider The head OF this enor-
nous figure is marked by bright second
magnitude star situated at about three
fifths of the distance from Antares to Vega
This star having been located. the rest Of
the stars which go to make up the figure
may easily be identified with the aid of the
sketch on the chart given herewith. To
trace the serpent will be less easy. OBJ
serve that it's head, formed by a small tri-
angle of starS-two fthe eyes) Of the third
magnitude, and the third Of the fourth mag
nitude-is about midway between Arcturus
and the head of Ophiuchus and directly
south of the Northern Crown.
At the left of Ophiuchus and nearly in the
east is the eagle tAquila), the principal star
in which is Affair, already pointed out.
This star is flanked on each side by a star
OF the fourth magnitude the three form
ing a line about three degrees in length,
which points nearly toward Vega. These
f1ankng stars were probably the wings OF
the original eagle. a fourth star at the right
maker has thought differently, and has
drawn here much more artistic bird than
these four stars would make.
A short distance to the left of Affair and
at somewhat lower altitude may be seen
a small group of six or eight stars the
brightest of the third magnitude known
ancientiy as the Dolphin. but to which some
unpOetic modern stargazer has given-un-
fortunately with popular approval-the dis
prettiest OF the smaller consultations, and
il a beautiful object for the opera glass.
In midheavenS, between east and NORTH
east, directly beneath the star Vega In the
Tyre. is the Swan (Cygnusl. or Northern
Cross, unQuestionably the finest of the sum- |
mer consultations. with the single excep-
ton OF the Scorpion. Lying In the thick OF
the Milky Way. the Swan II one of the
richest OF all the consultations In stars
visible or invisible to the naked eve. and h
splendid field for opera glass survey
After sweeping this region with the giass
turn the instrument upon the Great Dipper,