10 GUIDE TO THE CONSTELLATIONS. 



6tar, which is sometimes of the 2d magnitude, and sometimes 

 quite invisible. £ lies about half way between a and o. 



Pisces. The Fishes, which form the twelfth sign of the Zodiac, 



are not a very remarkable constellation. One of them lies 

 on the south side of the square in Pegasus, under a and y ; 

 the other is on the east of the square, and between the heads 

 of Andromeda and of the Whale. The star a in the 

 knot of the string which joins the Fishes is of the 3d 

 magnitude, and is the most remarkable star in the whole 

 constellation : it is situated in the line which joins the head 

 of Andromeda and o the changeable star in the Whale ; it is 

 also in the line drawn from the feet of the Twins through 

 Aldebaran and produced towards the west. This star- (* 

 Piscium) is 40° west of Aldebaran, and makes a triangle 

 with x Ceti and (3 or y Arietis, which is right angled at the 

 star in the Fishes. 



We have now given an account of the principal constel- 

 lations, from which the rest may easily be known with the 



Pole of the assistance of a globe. But it may be necessary to add some 

 directions for finding the pole of the Ecliptic, which is one 

 of the most remarkable points in the heavens ; and one, with 

 which a person should be particularly acquainted, who 

 wishes to become familiar with the heavenly bodies. It is 

 situated in the constellation of Draco, in the same line with 

 y and ^, the two stars in the great Bear, which are nearest to 

 the tail ; it makes almost an equilateral triangle with Lyra 

 and a Cygni ; it is also in the line drawn from a point half 

 way between the two eastern stars in the square of the great 

 Bear, and produced through the middle of the guards of the 

 little Bear 3° beyond u Draconis. u may be easily known, 

 since it is nearly in the same line with the three stars of the 

 same constellation, marked 0, '/? and £, whith are situated in 

 the line drawn from Arcturus to Cepheus and Cassiopeia, 

 that , passt s between £ and g Draconis on the opposite 

 side of the pole of the Ecliptic. £ and i are near to one 

 another, and in a direction parallel to the tail of the little 

 Bear, so as to point to the head of the Dragon. The mid- 

 dle star » is thai, towards which the guards of the little Bear 

 point. Lastly, the pole of the Ecliptic makes a right angled 

 and isosceles triangle with the pole star and /5 Ursa? Minoris, 



which 



