288 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



The Heavens in February. 



BY PROt'ESSOR ERIC DOOLlTTI.E OF THE 

 UNIVERSITY OE PENNSYLVANIA. 



Surely no one who turns toward the 

 heavens on any clear evening of the 

 present month can fail to be impressed 

 by the wonderful beauty of the celes- 



the west to the east, and that the mag- 

 nificent Orion, Sirius, Gemini and Ca- 

 pella are in their highest positions in 

 the heavens. 



Always during this midwinter month 

 the whole heavens are filled with these 

 brilliant winter stars, but it is seldom 

 indeed that no less than four of the 



MoieTH 



.^OUTK 



Figure 1. The Constellations at 9 P. M., February 1 

 the map upright. If facing east, hold East below 

 below. If facing north, hold the map inverted). 



(If facing south, hold 

 If facing west, hold West 



tial objects that now fill the winter 

 skies. At no time of any year will he 

 ever witness this spectacle in greater 

 brilliance. 



The February Stars. 



It is only during the evenings oi 

 February that the train of bright win- 

 ter constellations forms a complete 

 band across the southern heavens from 



brightest planets are also seen shining 

 in the evening heavens as we see them 

 now. 



High in the east, the red planet 

 Mars shines out with six times the 

 brightness of a first magnitude star. 

 Almost on the meridian in the south 

 is the whiter Saturn which, though less 

 brilliant than Mars, is still nearly twice 

 as bright as a star of the first magni- 



