New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-08
BY SAM SCOVILLE. JR.


Bull IS represented as forever charging at
Orion. who stands awaiting the attack with
drawn sword. The writer once at midnight
saw Aldebaran nearly oyerShadowed by the
huge red planet Mars, which was almost IN
conjunction with it. That night even the
Bulls fierce eye" quailed before the great
war star.
To the left Of the Pleiades shines a golden
star with a tiny isosceleS triangle close De
side it. This is the first magnitude star
Capela. which shines in the constellation
Arriga. the Charioteer. The little triangle
is the fingerpost that always distinguishes
Capela. This star ranks second among the
first magnitude stars Of Our hemisphere.
The second brightest star IN that conStelia-
ton is Nenkalinan: while below and to the
left is FL Nath, the whitest star IN the SKY.
This star is the color standard OF the skies,
ranking as absolutely white.
Near the Hyades this spring is another
large bright star, which is the planet saturn.
These planets are very confusing to begin
ners. as they wander about IN all kinds OF
unexpected places. The planets, OF course,
are sister stars to Earth, and like her re-
volve round the sun, and seem large only be-
cause of their nearnesS 20 Earth. Stars, on
the other hand, are great suns themselves,
with systems OF planets OF their own.
OF the planets, Venus is the brightest, and
~ can sometimes be distinctly seen IN day
light At other times it flames like a lamp
in the sky, 50 brightly that its light casts a
shadow. Venus can be seen only shortly
after sunset or shortly before dawn IN the
east or west. and never rises high IN the sky
Jupiter. the next brightest OF the planets,
crosses the skies. and can be told from \enuS
by its size and position. Saturn IS smaller
and pure white and also crosses the SKY;
while Mars. another sky-crosser, ranks IN
size between Jupiter and Saturn, and can
be told by its sullen, ominous red color.
Jupiter and Venus are golden yellow,
Mercury, the last OF the visible planets,
is the will-o' -the-wisp Of the sky. It can be
seen only just after sunset or just before
dawn close TO the horizon, and on the rare
occasions when there are no clouds at its
point of rising. The great astronomer
Herschel died without ever having seen
Mercury The writer in this matter, has
the advantage of Herschel, as one winter
twilight he puffingly climbed to the top OF
a high windmill, and caught a fleeing
glimpse Of the reddish glow OF the planet
cleaning on the very edge of the sky rim.
Uranus and Neptune, the other two planets,
are not visible to the naked eye.
In the center Of the sky shines a great
sickle. This is the constellation Leo. Its
brightest star is Regulus, one Of the four
SKY kings. Regulus is the King Of the
South. Fomalhaut. in the Southern Fish, Of
the North, Aldebaran Of the East, and
Antares. of the Scorpion, Of the West.
Following the line Of the Belt, and far
below it. blazes the brightest of all stars,
Sirius the Dog Star. This star is so much
brighter than any Of the other first magnl-
tude stars as to be in a class by itself. 1t IS
approached only by the great star of the
southern hemisphere, Campus. 1t blazes
in the Jaw Of the Great Dog, which is repre-
sented as standing on its hind legs. To
some observers it shines blue; but to the
writer it always seems TO glare out IN flaming
green. To the left and far above Sirius IS
Procyon, the Announcer, as the Arablans
called it because it came first as herald OF
the coming Of the King OF the heavens.
Procyon has close to il faint star which IS
called Gomeisa. Procyon is the lHcidd OF
.Lo ;..f, D,r ~ tho -'-r-