Astronomy for amateurs . SiriusH * Fig. II.—The Constellations of the Zodiac : winter and spring ; Crab,Twins, Bull, Ram, Fishes, Water-Carrier. herself with her most beautiful jewels, offering us thecontemplation of her inexhaustible treasures. First, let us do homage to the magnificent Orion,most splendid of all the constellations: he advances likea colossal giant, and confronts the Bull. This constellation appears about midnight in No-vember, in the south-eastern Heavens; toward eleven 47 ASTRONOMY FOR AMATEURS oclock in December and January, due south; aboutten in February, in the south-ea
Astronomy for amateurs . SiriusH * Fig. II.—The Constellations of the Zodiac : winter and spring ; Crab,Twins, Bull, Ram, Fishes, Water-Carrier. herself with her most beautiful jewels, offering us thecontemplation of her inexhaustible treasures. First, let us do homage to the magnificent Orion,most splendid of all the constellations: he advances likea colossal giant, and confronts the Bull. This constellation appears about midnight in No-vember, in the south-eastern Heavens; toward eleven 47 ASTRONOMY FOR AMATEURS oclock in December and January, due south; aboutten in February, in the south-east; about nine in March,and about eight in April, in the west; and then setsbelow our Fig. 12.—Orion and his celestial companions. It is indisputably the most striking figure in the sky,and with the Great Bear, the most ancient in history,the first that was noticed: both are referred to in the an-cient texts of China, Chaldea, and Egypt. 48 THE CONSTELLATIONS Eight principal stars delineate its outline; two are ofthe first magnitude, five of the second, and one of thethird (Fig. 12). The most brilliant are Betelgeuse (a) andRigel (/3) : the former marking the right shoulder of theColossus as it faces us; the second the left foot. The staron the left shoulder is 7 or Bellatrix, of second magni-tude; that of the right foot, ^, is almost of the stars of second magnitude placed obliquely atequal distances from each other, the first or highestof which marks the position of the equatorial line,indicate the Belt or Girdle. These stars, known as theThree Kings, and by country people as the Rake, as-sist greatly in the recognition of this fine constellation. A lit
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectastronomy, bookyear19
