POI'l'LAR ASTRONOMY. 



■281 



ing to the ninth magnitude. Irregular- 

 ities in its period render predictions of 

 its maxima somewhat uncertain. It 

 should have been at a maximum about 

 the middle of October, and in November 

 should he seen declining in brilliance. 

 The middle of the eastern sky is render- 

 ed glorious by the advance of Taurus 

 and Auriga, closely followed by Orion 

 and Gemini. The Pleiades in Taurus are 

 well up in the sky at the hours represent- 

 ed by the chart. The two first magnitude 

 stars. Aldebaran in Taurus, the gem of 

 the V-shaped cluster called the Hyades, 

 and Capella. further north, in Auriga, 

 form a good counterpart in the eastern 

 heavens to Yega in Lyra and Altair in 

 Aguila, which, at the same hour, are seen 

 declining in the west. Far down in the 

 southwest glitters the lone brilliant 

 Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish. The 

 Great Dipper is under the pole, skim- 

 ming the horizon in the north. 



November has long been famous for 

 its meteors. The celebrated Leonid 

 meteors, thus called because they radiate 

 from the constellation Leo, made their 

 most recorded brilliant display on the 

 night of Nov. 13th, 1833. In 1866 and 

 1867 they were again abundant about 

 Nov. 14th. but when looked for in 

 November, 1899, their next calculated 

 period of maximum they were conspi- 

 cuous by absence. Calculations showed 

 that the great meteoric swarm had been 

 drawn wide from its orbit by the at- 

 traction of the planets Jupiter and Sa- 

 turn, and they will never be seen again 

 in similar numbers, resembling a "moun- 

 tain of fire." But every year from the 

 14th to the 16th of November more or 

 less of these meteors are to be seen. 

 Their radiant point in Leo does not rise 

 until about midnight, so that they can 

 best be seen in the early morning hours. 

 Those visible in the evening will be seen 

 rising from the eastern horizon. Re- 



cent studies have shown that meteors of 

 different swarms are characterized by 



peculiarities of movement and some- 

 times of color. The Leonids are re- 

 markable for their swiftness. The small 

 ones resemble streaks drawn quickly 

 across the background of the sky. The 

 moon, which is at Last Quarter on Nov. 

 15th, will not much interfere by its light 

 with the visibility of these meteors. 

 Those who watch them should note care- 

 fully their paths, and count the number 

 seen in a given time. From the 17th to 

 the 23rd of November the Andromeda 

 meteors are seen, thus named because 

 they radiate from the constellation An- 

 dromeda. Some of these have been sup- 

 posed to be fragments of the lost comet 

 of Biela. They made brilliant displays 

 in 1872, 1885, and 1893. These meteors 

 are characterized by their relatively slow 

 motion, and by the fiery trains that they 

 leave behind them. The moon will be 

 entirely out of the way on Nov. 23, so 

 that, as far as its light is concerned, the 

 opportunity will be good for seeing the 

 Andromeda meteors. They can be ob- 

 served early in the evening since An- 

 dromeda rises before sunset. 



GLORIFYING THE COMMON PLACE. 



But it is only the great poet who has 

 the courage and power so to see things. 

 It is only a Homer or a Whitman who 

 will pass by the pomp and circumstance 

 of life to glorify some mean and "vulgar" 

 thing. — as the parting sun will some- 

 times turn and speed over the shoulder 

 of the world an arrow dipped in gold , to 

 set ablaze the windows of some moun- 

 tain cottage, or burn a needle's eye 

 through the slender village spire, leav- 

 ing the casements of the proud palaces 

 in the plain all blank and undistinguish- 

 ed. — ECennedv in 'AYalt Whitman." 



