Rural School Leaflet. 957 



Queen Cassiopeia's Chair. — Note almost opposite the Big Dipper, on 

 the other side of the North Star, and about as far away from it, there 

 are five bright stars which form an irregular W. This is the Queen's 

 Chair, and is one of the most beautiful and noticeable of all the polar 

 constellations (See Diagram). 



Cepheus. — King Cepheus was the husband of Cassiopeia, but he does 

 not shine in the heavens as brightly as she. This constellation is marked 

 by five not Yevy bright stars, four of which make a diamond-shaped 

 figure ; the two stars on one side serve as pointers to the North Star as 

 accurately as do the pointers in the Big Dipper (See Diagram). 



The Dragon. — Lying between the two Dippers and curling up around 

 the Little Dipper are stars that form an irregular line which bends 

 sharply back and ends in four stars. The line marks the body of the 

 Dragon and the four stars mark its head, the two brightest stars being 

 the eyes (See Diagram). 



The Nightly Movements of the Polar Constellations. — Note that all these 

 constellations move around the Pole Star from left to right, complet- 

 ing the circle in twenty-four hours. To prove this, note the difference 

 in the positions in the heavens of the Big Dipper at eight o'clock and at 

 ten o'clock the same evening. 



The Yearly Motion of the Stars. — Note the position of the Big Dipper 

 at eight o'clock in the evening on the 15th of January and mark it by 

 some tree or house directly below it. Note its position a month later at 

 the same hour and observe that it reaches the same point two hours 

 earlier in the evening in February than it does in January. 



I hope some of the young readers of this Leaflet will be able to tell 

 whether the stars really do revolve around the North Star, or if not, 

 why they seem to do so; and also tell why some stars, like Orion, rise 

 and set, while others, like the Big Dipper, are always in sight. And 

 I wonder if you could tell me what star would be directly over your 

 head if you could stand at the North Pole, and also how would the 

 constellations seem to move if you could observe them from the North 

 Pole, and would any of them rise and set? 



The stars are forth, the moon above the tops 

 Of the snow-shining mountains. — Beautiful! 

 I linger yet with Nature, for the night 

 Hath been to me a more familiar face 

 Than that of man; and in her starry shade 

 Of dim and solitary loveliness, 

 I learn' d the language of another world. 



— Byron 



