Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-31

consider that these ancient consultations
were probably, formed and named by rus
tics and not by poets. it seems rot unlikely
that the ROMAN peasant was instinctively
right and the learned German wrong Sow
and Pigs as name for Aldebaran and the
lesser lights around 1t would take with
ruStlcs, whatever poets might think of it,
Homely and pointed names for these star
groups are just the kind that we should
look for when we consider their popular
origin as, in fact, We find to be the char
acter of many OF the modern names which
nave supplanted the old. Thus. the Sickle
is popular name for part of the old con-
steliatlon Leo, and there are those who
ignore the classic and poetic name Pleiades.
and insist on calling this beautiful little
star cluster the Cleaver-just because it
looks like a cleaver.
There is no evidence that Aldebaran was
ever called the Sow, though the Hyades
We're certainly called the Pigs; but, as We
nave Just seen, bright star not far from
Capella, or She-goat. Possibly the clue
which we have struck will lead us to the
origin Of this name also.
Besides carrying goat upon his shoulder
the WAGNER. as he is depicted upon celes-
tai charts, carries on his lap the goats
three kids. Now, close beside Capela there
are three stars of the fourth magnitude
winch form very noticeable little triangle.
ana which we may reasonably conjecture
to be the originals of the three kids Clear
ly the same imagination which saw in AL
debaran and the Hyades a sow and her lit
ter saw in this other bright star and it's
three small attendants a goat and her
young. The same sort Of ina gination still
enables sailors to see in certain dangerous
group OF rocks Sow and Pigs" and in
another group Hen and Chickens" The
ancient and the modern way Of looking at
things may not be so different after all
Gemini, the Twins.
Another instance Of a constellation Of
which the name had. undoubtedly. a nat
ural and very simple origin, but one having
no reference to the grouping Of the stars
Is Gemini. This constellation is abundant
ly supplied with stars, but only the most
perverted imagination can see among them
the images Of the two youths which are to
be seen depicted upon celestial chart If
however. We will confine our attention to
the two principal stars of the constellation
the meaning of the name should become
clear at once. Lying near the suns path
this conspicuous pair Of stars formed one
excellent mark for noting the progress of
the year. AS We look at them tonight it is
easy to understand why they were called
the Doubles. or Twins. Gemini. To COM
plete this story of the Twins. It should be
added that the names which they bear,
Castor and Pollux, are undoubtedly Dor
rowed, these names having been given orig
inally TO pair of twins Of very different
order. The original Castor and Pollux-the
Dark One and the Bright One, the brothers
of that Helen whose fateful beauty led to
the siege of Ircy-were Night and Day as
has been abundantly proved by COMPARE
tive my biology. Hence the story that they
shared between them the gift of imm ortal-
ity. one of them being above ground, living
while the other was dead in the lower world
"a concet which COMFORTS admirably with
the character of the NEUROLOGICAL twins
but which has point whatever when told
of these two stars.
The Planets.
Mercury will be a morning star through
out the month. but will not become visible
until near the close Of the month, low in
the east
Venus is now an evening star, visible on
clear evening low in the southwest
Mars. an evening star in the constellation
Virgo, moving rapidly eastward, has al
ready become object of interest to the
possessor Of telescope. Its opposition to
the sun, when 1t will be at its nearest to
the earth, occurs on the 29th of next month
Jupiter will be evening star until the
10Th, and after that date morning star
Saturn has been a morning star since jan
nuary p. Neither of these planets will be
visible during the month.