of Pefectinfl << Sieies the Nis aieat Magnitude cae SS ae” satis as aia dad Uae Cons llaliows bce ek » = aoe ~ ~~ ee De ~ Fae pe aap ee ee See ty e e e x teeae ~ ts ete “ ere ee y Sg “ene paces Pe oe a of the CANIS MAJOR, THE GREAT DOG Snapping Sirius, the Dog Star in Canis Major, is the brightest star in our And if the ordinary star looks “like a northern sky and one of the nearest. diamond in the sky’ then Sirius is a blazing carbuncle, throwing off| glittering, snapping vari-colored rays. The ancients imagined the crisp, sharp barking ot a dog in its scintillation; therefore, they placed it at the mouth of the Great Dog. BOOTES, THE PLOWMAN ~— According to legend, he is Bootes is said to have invented the first plow. seen plowing in the sky. The Big Dipper is his plowshare and the North Star the ox which pulls it. Arcturus, the bright star in Bootes, has been known and admired for ages. It is one of the few stars mentioned in the Bible. Incidentally the light of Arcturus was used to open the World Fair in Chicago in 1933. AQUILLA, THE EAGLE Legend has it that Aquila, the Eagle, bore Canymede to Mount Olympus to replace Hege as Jupiter’s cup bearer. Altair is the bright star in this group. VIRGO, THE VIRGIN Among the glorious stars of spring is Spica in the constellation of Virgo, Rising out of the mid-March twilight where the haze of returning the Virgin. spring softens the south-eastern horizon, Spica, the legendary ear of wheat held in the hands of the Virgin, reminds the farmer that planting time has come. LYRA, THE LYRE Lyra, the Lyre, symbolizes the instrument of Orpheus who with his musiz won his wife Euridice from the underworld, only to lose her. Vega is its bright star and it also contains the famous Ring Nebula. GEMINI, THE TWINS Gemnini, the Twins, are known by two bright stars, Castor and Pollux. Of Though these, Pollux is the brighter, although years ago, Castor outshone him. separated. named for famous twins, Castor and Pollux are very widely CYGNUS, THE SWAN Viewed as a Cygnus, the Swan, is sometimes called the Northern Cross. As a cross tail. the swan, it is flying south; the brightest star, Deneb, marking its direction is reversed and Deneb marks the position of the head. AURIGA, THE CHARIOTEER The very brilliant star in Auriga, the Chariotter, is Capella which represents the head of the She Goat; hence it is sometimes TAURUS, THE called the Goat Star. BULL In the constellation of Taurus, the Bull, are seven stars that represent The Pleiades, or the seven daughters of Atlas, whom Orion, the Hunter, pursued and Alderbaran is the bright star in who were changed into doves to escape him. Taurus that forms his eye. ORION, THE HUNTER Orion, the Hunter, is certainly the most splendid. constellations, the all Of than 250 times larger than our own and 3,000 more sun blazing that Betelgeuze, while diagonally across and to the right shoulder; his marks luminous, times more and down, is Rigel, marking his leg. SCORPIVS, FEE. SCORPION According to myth, Scorpius is the scorpion which bit Orion in the heel, causing the latter’s death. Scorpius, the Scorpion. Antares, is the red-colored (Continued on Page 50) first magnitude star in