Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-31
HEAVENS IN FEBRUARY
Grandest Spectacle the Starry
Firmament Affords.
WHAT ONE MAY SEE
ORION Is THE PRINCE OF ALL
CONSULTATIONS.
Origin of Some Stellar Names-Gemini
and the Celestial Bull
The Planets.
Written for The Evening Star.

On February evening, at about 9 o'clock
at the beginning Of the month-an hour
or so earlier toward its close-we have
spread before US the grandest spectacle
that the starry armament affords
In mid-heavens in the south stands Orion,
the acknowledged prince Of the constella-
tons, with It's splendid setting of first
magnitude stars. Betelgeuse, Rigel, Sirius,
Procyon and Aldebaran. Overhead is Au-
riga, the Wagner, the principal star in
which, Capella, ranks in splendor second
only to Sirius In the east is Leo, contain
Ing the bright star Regulus, the sickle
shaped group of stars which forms the
Lions bushy head and shoulders being
about one-third of the distance from the
horizon to the zenith. At about the same
altitude in the west Is the pair Of stars,
one OF the second and one Of the third
magnitude, which mark the head of Aries,
the Ram. Midway between Capella and
Reguius, little below a straight line
Drawn from one to the other, are the Twins,
Castor and Pollux-a pair Of stars of about
the same brilliancy and at about the same
distance apart as the Pointers in the bowl
OF the Great Dipper. The Dipper itself,
or the Piow. as this striking group of
seven stars is popularity called in Eng
land. will be found at the hour named
above standing on its handle IN the north
west, the Pointers" uppermost and at
about the height of the Pole Star. while
at about the same altitude in the north
west is the W-shaped figure of Cassiopeia
''The Lady in Her Chair"
Orion.
In this great X-like figure we have I'M
doubtedly one of the very Oldest of the con-
stellations. Familiar to Homer and Hestod
and referred to in the Book of Job, Orion
is invested with historic associations and
surrounded with halo Of poetry and myth
ology which have perhaps quite as much
to do with its fascination for modern star
gazers as has the singular majesty of the
asterism itself. 1t is still the Mighty
Orion" as It was in the days of Homer.
though its potency now is not over the
weather but over the Imagination.
AS has been the case with many others Of
the considerations, chart makers have drawn
the lineaments Of Orion with a free hand
and have imposed upon us figure quite I'M
like anything which we can see among the
stars. His sword. his lion-skin shield, his
uplifted club are appendages which we
should hardly imagine to exist without the
aid of the figure which we may find upon a
ceStial chart. Yet these accessories are all
referred to at an early period, and they be-
long to the constellation as 1t was known
to ancient astronomers, though it may be
questioned whether they were seen by the
still more ancient constellation-makers
Looking at the stars themselves and losing
of them a crude likeness to a gigantic hui
man shape-such a giant a school boy
might draw upon his slate-and we may feel
pretty certain that this figure is the original
and true Orion.
The Arabic name Of this constellation was
AL Jauza. the Giant. The name is preserved
in that Of one of its brightest stars. Bet-el-
geuse (Batal-Jauza, Armpit Of the Giant
at the upper left hand corner Of the great
x Rigel; the name of the star at the lower
right hand corner is the Arabic Rial. which
means foot" These stars are both of the
first magnitudes. Saiph. at the lower left
hand corner. Is Of the third magnitude. The
name is Arabic and means sword" Bel
latrix, at the upper right hand corner, Is
Of the second magnitude. rms WORD Is
Latin meaning "warrioreSs." AS the name
Of a star its point is not very apparent.
In Orion's Belt.
The three stars which form Orions Belt,
all of the second magnitude. are sometimes
regarded as an asterism in themselves.
They are variously known as the Three
Kings, as Jacobs Staff. as the Rake. Taken
in connection with the star in the hilt Of
the sword they are known as the Yard L.
or the Yard and Eal. as the name is some
times written. The line OF these three
stars Is almost exactly three degrees in
length, a fact useful to remember when
one Is estimating distances among the
stars. The celestial equator passes very
close to the uppermost Of the three, divid-
Ing the constellation III SuCl Wise liidt II
lies one-half in the northern and one-half
in the southern hemisphere OF the heavens.
This most majestic Of the consultations Is
therefore visible to all Of the earth's in
habitants
The Cestial Bull.
Above and at the right)of the Orion
stands Taurus. the Celestial Bull. one of
the most frequently mentioned of the an
cient consultations. from the circumstances
that it's rising or first appearance above
the eastern horizon at daybreak was the
signal to the farmer that winter was
broken and that it was time to begin his
springs work. For this reason Taurus was
said by Virgil to "open the year with his
golden HORNS" To the modern star gazer
the Bull is chiefly interesting for he
bright reddish star, Aldebaran, the Bulls
Eye" and its two famous star clusters
the Pleiades. in his shoulder, and the V
shaped Hyades, which form his face.
Origin Of Star Names.
There is little story to be told about
these Hyades. The name was supposed to
have been formed from word which
means ito rain," and hence undoubtedly
arose the notion current in the classic
period that the rising of these stars
brought with it rainy weather. The Ro-
mans called them Piupiae. name which
might be rendered rain bringers." The
Romans also called them Suculae, the Pigs,
because" says German annotator upon
Virgil, the name was supposed to be de- |
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