POPULAR ASTRONOMY. 



69 



the Bear-Driver, who seems to be pur- 

 suing the Great Bear, Ursa Major 

 (the Great Dipper) around the pole. 

 Among other constellations particularly 

 beautiful at the present time is Corona 

 Borealis, which may be seen, with its al- 

 most perfect circle of stars, northeast of 

 Arcturus. Away over in the northeast 

 Lyra is seen rising with the glittering 

 Vega, which is as bright as Arcturus, but 



llerschers discovery that it lies ahead 

 of us in the path which the Solar System 

 is pursuing straight toward the north, 

 at the rate of more than 300,000,000 miles 

 per year. Later studies have shown 

 that the real direction of this vast flight 

 is rather nearer to Vega than to the 

 central part of Hercules. 



Leo, in mid-heaven, is well placed 

 for observation, the figure of the Sickle 



Evening SkyMap for MAY 



May Moon Phases 

 Full Moon, MayS 

 LastQtr., May 12 

 NewMoon,A\ayi9- 

 FirstQtr.,May26 





facesouthand 

 hold the map over 

 your head-the top 

 north. and you will see 

 the stars andplanets 

 just as they appear 

 in the heavens 



TheArrow Through 



THE TWO STARS IN THE 



BOWL OF THE BIG DIPPER 



POINTS TO THE NORTH STAR. 



THE STAR AT THE END OF THE 



HANDLE OFTHF. LITTLE DIPPER 



SOUTH 



sirikingly different in color, its rays 

 being blue-white while Arcturus is 

 orange, or at times almost red. Both 

 of these stars are of .immense actual mag- 

 nitude. Arcturus probably exceeding 

 our sun at least 1000 times in bright- 

 ness while Vega is hardly less enor- 

 mous. But Vega is apparently young 

 in the order of evolution, and Arctu- 

 rus is old, older than the sun. Be- 

 tween Corona Borealis and Vega ap- 

 pears the constellation Hercules, for- 

 ever memorable from Sir William 



is clearly marked and the leading star 

 Regulus, at the lower end of the 

 handle, is not only bright but it is 

 important being one of the "nautical 

 stars" employed by sailors in finding 

 their longitude at sea. 



There is a well-known meteor 

 shower in May, known as the Aqua- 

 rids, because they radiate from the 

 constellation Aquarius. As that con- 

 stellation does not rise before mid- 

 night these meteors, if any are seen 

 in the evening, will appear shooting 



