POPULAR ASTRONOMY. 



241 



celestial system are based upon it. ( )ur 

 sun. which is but a pygmy in comparison 

 with the greater ones surrounding it 

 seems to be situated not far from the 

 center of the vast space which the Milky 

 Way encircles like a starry girdle. But 

 the sun is in motion across this com- 

 paratively open space, travelling at the 



greatest of these, one within the reach 

 of the most modest instrument, is the 

 charming Albireo, or Beta Cygni in the 

 foot of the Northern Cross. The larger 

 star is yellowish white and the smaller 

 deep blue, and their distance apart is 

 about half a minute of arc, or say one- 

 sixtieth of the diameter of the full moon. 



Oct.MoonPhases 

 First Qtr, Oct 3 

 FULL Moon, Oct 9 

 U&tQtr.Oct 16. 

 New Moon. Oct 25. 



Evening SkyM ap for October 



^fog/OS. 



GaRR6 tT (5^ 



FACE SOUTH AND 

 HOLD THE MAP OVER 

 YOUR HEAD-THE TOP 

 NORTH. AND YOU WILL SEE 

 THE STARS ANDPLANETS 

 JUST AS THEY APPEAR 

 INTHE HEAVENS 



The Arrow Through 



THE TWO STARS IN THE 



BOWLOFTHEBIG DIPPER 



POINTS TO THE NORTH STAR. 



THE STAR AT THE END OF THE 



HANDLE OFTHE LITTLE! DIPPER 



SOUTH 



rate of about 12 miles per second from 

 the south toward the north, and dragging 

 the earth and the other planets with it. 

 It is like an illuminated mote drifting 

 across an immense apartment which is 

 encircled with countless lamps. Whe- 

 ther it will go on as it is now going, or 

 will turn again, is something that lies 

 beyond the present range of our knowl- 

 edge. For the benefit of those possessing 

 telescopes attention may be called to a 

 few of the conspicuously beautiful dou- 

 ble stars now to be seen. One of the 



i have separated this star with a power- 

 ful field-glass. Another beauty is the 

 star Gamma in Vndromeda. the last con- 

 spicuous star toward the northeast in the 

 row marking that constellation. Here 

 again there is a beautiful contrast of 

 colors between the component stars. Put 

 they are much nearer together than those 

 in Albireo. Gamma, the smallest of the 

 three stars in Aries, shown in our chart, 

 is a beautiful double, interesting as be- 

 ing the first double star ever discovered. 

 Its duplicity was discovered accidently by 



