GUIDE TO THE CONSTELLATIONS. 7 



The great circle, which passes through Regulu9 and Spica Scorpio. 

 Virginia, is nearly the same with the ecliptic, and if it be 

 produced to the eastward, it meets the Scorpion, a remark- 

 able constellation on account of the four stars in its head, 

 which form a large arch fVora N. to S. round Antares, or the Antares. 

 Cor Scorpionis, which is placed as a centre to them. One 

 of the four stars is of the 2d magnitude, and Antares is a 

 bright star of the first magnitude. 



The Balance contains two stars of the second magnitude, Libra, 

 which form the two scales : the line which connects them is 

 nearly perpendicular to that which may be drawn from Arc- 

 turus to Antares, and they lie a little to the south of the 

 middle of this line of direction. The southern scale is si- 

 tuated between Spica Virginia and Antares, and these three 

 stars a;e all very nearly in the ecliptic. Spica Virginis is at 

 the distance of 21°, and Antares at the distance of 25°, 

 from the southern scale. 



Sagittarius is a constellation, which follows the Scorpion, Sagittarius. 

 being a little to the east of it. It is in the line, which, 

 passing through Spica Virginis and Antares, follows nearly 

 the direction of the ecliptic : it contains several stars of the 

 third magnitude, which form a large trapezium, two stars of 

 which, together with two others, form a second trapezium, 

 perpendicular as it were to the first. Sagittarius may be 

 known by a line drawn through the middle of the Swan and 

 EagJe : for it is 3.5° south of the Eagle, or nearly the same 

 distance fr<fm it as the Eagle is from the Swan. Sagittarius 

 may also be known by the diagonal drawn from the head 

 of Andromeda to « Pegasi, the same line, which produced 

 towards the north points out the belt of Perseus. 



The line drawn from Antares to the pole star passes through Ophiucus and 

 Ophiucus, or Serpentarius, and then through Hercules. It Hercules, 

 is rather difficult to know these constellations, and therefore 

 they must be described more particularly. The line drawn 

 from Antares to the Lyre passes near the head of Ophiucus, 

 which is not far from that of Hercules, and lies to the south- 

 east of it. They are marked by two stars of the second 

 magnitude, and the line which connects the^i points to the 

 Crown; it also passes through y Hercuii? at the distance of 

 13° from the head of Hercules. jS Her<:ulis is at the distance 



of 



