Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-03
JANUARY HEAVENS
Pole Star Between Cassiopeia
and Great Dipper.
CELESTIAL EQUATOR
ENTIRE HEMISPHERE REPRODUCE
ED IN CHART.
Only Fourteen Stars of the First Mag
nitude Are Visible Here
aboutS.

Written for The Evening Star.
The chart given herewith represents the
entire hemisphere of the heavens which
will be visible this evening at about 3
o'clock It's circumference is the horizon:
its center the zenith, or the point directly
overhead. To compare 1t with the heavens
one should hold it overhead, or nearly SO,
with the marginal letter or letters which
indicate the point in the horizon which the
observer faces on the lower side. All of
the stars shown upon 1t will then fall into
their proper places and can easily be iden-
tilted.
AS the chart lies before us, with the let
ter lowermost, 1t is in a position for ex-
amining the southern quadrant Of the heav-
ems. 1t will be seen that as We face in this
direction we haves0h osr Ifeft.a III the south
east, the great Nss4ks~dgure Of Orion. be-
meath which Observation-Disclosures Dog, Star
Sirius. sssss -
On our right. In the southwest, is the
monster though inconspicuous constella-
ton Cetus, the Whale. while directly In
front and nearly overhead is Taurus, the
Bull, containing the bright star Aldebaran,
the Bull s Eye" and the beautiful cluster
of the Pleiades. -----.-z-. ---s=-r--'
Giving the chart quarter of turn and
bringing the letter E to the lower side, We
may examine the eastern quadrant: Nearly
In front of us and somewhat higher than
Sirius stands Procyon, the Little Dog (Canfs
Minor. At the left of this star and about
midway between the horizon and zenith
may be seen the Twins (GeminD, Castor
and Pollux. At a still greater altitude and
near the zenith Is sCapefia. in the constella-
ton Auriga. : 49, S.a.sA%i+z.''
Next, bringing the letter N to the lower
side, we may see at a glance the positions
right, between north and northeast, the
Great Dipper, in the Ursa Major, or Great
Bear, stands ON its handle, it's two point
erS" uppermoSt and nearly at the height OF
the Pole Star, with which they range very
nearly. At the left of this star, high in the
northwest, the most notable object is the
W-shaped figure of Cassiopeia, THE Lady
in Her Chair" Observe that the Pole Star,
or North Star, stands about midway be-
tween this constellation and the handle Of
the Great Dipper.
Now, facing the west-having given the
chart another quarter of turn-we have
before us the great Square Of Pegasus,
formed by four stars of the second magn.-
tude. From the uppermost corner of this
square runs a curving line of four second
magnitude stars, including the corner star,
In the direction of CapeIla. The uppermost
of these four stars is Alpha Persei, at about
the center of the constellation Perseus; the
lower three belong to Andromeda.
The Celestial Equator.
The position of the celestial equator is
also shown upon the chart. Observe that
it spans the heavens from the exact eastern
to the western point in the horizon and that
it passes very close to the uppermost of the
three stars which form the belt of Orion
1.-THE Three Kings" This important astro-
nomical great circle Of the heavens is the
ina inary line in which the plane Of the
earth's equator extended Indefinitely on all
sides cuts the sky. Just as the terres-
trial equator divides the earth into two
hemispheres, a northern and southern, so
the celestial equator-or the eQuinoctial cir
Gle, as it is called by astronomers-divides
the apparent sphere of the heavens into a
northern and a southern hemisphere.
All of the stars north of this line in
the northern hemisphere; those south Of it,
Sirius and Rigel, for example, IN the
southern. This is a point which should be
noted by the beginner in star-gazing, mas
much as there is populary some confusion
of ideas respecting II, many persons sup
posing that in order to see the stars of the
southern hemisphere one must be in the
earth's southern hemisphere.
The truth is that an observer in the mean
latitude of the United States-say, 40 de-
grees north latitude-can see to within 40
degrees of the south celestial pole, so that
the only portion of the southern hemisphere
of the heavens which he cannot see is cir
cular region so degrees across, having the
south celestial pole at it's center. Per
contra, there is about the north celestial
pole region of the same extent, the stars
within which never disappear below his
horizon.
An observer at New Orleans may see to
within 80 degrees of the south pole; at Key
West, to within 25 degrees of this point. If
he travels southwark until he reaches the
terrestrial equator, the celectial equator will
then run directly above his head, the two
celestial poles will be on his horizon, and he
may obtain a view at one time or another
of every star in the heavens.
The Suns Path.
Another important great circle of the
heavens with which the young astronomer
should early become familiar Is that known
In astronomy as the ecliptic here repre-
scented by a broken curved line marked
Suns Path" Along this circle the sun
performs its annual journey round the
heavens-its apparent journey, for really 1t
is the earth which does the traveling-in
also approximately the pathway Of the
The ecliptic crosses the celestial. equator
at two opposite points in the heavens.
known as the eqninoxes, at an angle OF 23lz
degrees One of these crossing points. the
vernal equinox. at which the sun passes
from the southern to the northern hemis-'
phere, about the 21st of March, is shown on
the chart. Note that this circle passes be-
between the Pleiades and Aldebaran, about
FIVE degrees south OF Pollux and very close
to the star Reguius. in Leo.
The Zodiac.
The suns path runs along the center Of
belt OF twelve consultations. known as the
zodiac, which Is divided Into twelve equal