322 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



the same way round the planet. It is 

 probable that the Crape Ring was 

 formed by particles escaping from 

 Ring B and moving in toward the 

 planet, while the new gauze ring is no 

 doubt due to particles that have moved 

 outward from Ring A. In the course 

 of ages the rings may entirely disap- 

 pear, a part of their substance being 

 precipitated upon the planet, while the 

 remainder will move outward to be 

 eventually aggregated into satellites, 

 of which Saturn already possesses ten. 



I have already mentioned the fact 

 that Neptune is an evening star, rising 

 with the constellation Gemini about 

 6 o'clock in the evening. Jupiter, in 

 Leo, rises about midnight on the ist, 

 and about 10 p. m. on the 31st. The 

 other planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars 

 and Uranus are all in the morning sky. 



THE STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS. 



The map is set for 9 p. m. on Decem- 

 ber ist and 7 p. m. on December 31st. 

 The first object to strike the eye of the 



Evening SkyMap for December 



NO P*XH 



Dec. Moon Phases 



Full Moon, Dec. 7 

 Last Qtr., Dec. 15 

 New Moon, Dec. 23. 



FlRbTQTR.DEC.50. 



Garr^ t; qja"R t 



BahW 



FACESOUTHAND 

 HOLD THE MAP OVER 

 YOUR HEAD-THE TOP 

 NORTH. ANDYOUWILLSEE 

 THE STARS ANDPLANETS 

 JUST AS THEY APPEAR 

 IN.THE HEAVENS 



The Arrow Through 



THE TWO STARS IN THE 



BOWL OF THE BIG DIPPER 



POINTS TO THE NORTH STAR. 



THE: STAR AT THE END OF THE! 



HANDLE OFTHE LITTLE DIPPER. 



SOUTH 



Both on account of the unique and 

 charming spectacle which they afford 

 and on account of the interesting pro- 

 blems which they present, Saturn's 

 rings are well worth an effort on the 

 part of everybody to see them, at least 

 once, with a good telescope. The 

 heavens have nothing to show which 

 is at the same time more wonderful 

 and more beautiful. 



observer who has a clear horizon are 

 the constellations that form the glory 

 of the winter skies, now rising in the 

 east. First comes Taurus, the Bull, 

 carrying the beautiful Pleiades on his 

 flank and the Hyades, with the red first 

 magnitude star Aldebaran, on his 

 head. Then follows the matchless 

 Orion, with his two great first magni- 

 tude stars Rigel and Betelgeuse, and 



