TO KNOW THE STARRY HEWENS 



399 



figure as they are seen shining together 

 in the field of a small telescope. 



Having become familiar with the im- 

 portant Leo, the observer should next 

 turn farther eastward and trace the 

 outlines of the very interesting sum- 

 mer group, Virgo, w^hich extends from 

 Leo almost all the way to the Scorpion, 

 this last group is the brightest and most 

 striking of all the summer constella- 

 tions. 



■ The groups, Leo and Virgo, are both 

 if immense antiquity. Some astrono- 

 mers believe that they were thus named 

 at least fifteen thousand years ago 

 when the Vernal Equinox was at V, 

 Figure t, and when as the sun passed 

 through this region the Egyptian har- 

 vest occurred. Possibly the well- 

 known Sphinx, which represents the 

 Virgin's head on the Lion's body, com- 

 memorates the life-giving, annual in- 

 undation of the Nile, which occirs 

 while the sun is passing through, first, 

 the Lion, afterward, Virgo. 



Virgo has been represented from the 

 earliest times as a maiden bearing in 

 her left hand a Spike of wheat (marked 

 by the blue Spica at C, Eigure i) while 

 on some of the very earliest zodiacs 

 which have been preserved she holds 

 in her right hand a distaff, formed of 

 the beautiful filmy cloud of stars at D. 

 known to us as the separate constella- 

 tion of the Maiden's Hair. 



The sun passes through Leo during 

 August and early September and thus 

 both groups, the Sickle and the Wheat- 

 bearing Maiden, are very intimately 

 associated with our harvest days. But 

 Virgo alone is the reigning group of 

 the late summer days : 



"Virgin, august! come in thy regal state 

 With soft majestic grace and brow serene: 

 Though the fierce Lion's reign is overpast. 

 The summer's heat is all thine own as yet, 

 And all untouched thy robe of living green 

 By the rude fingers of the northern blast." 



The legends connected with our 

 star figures are usually interesting and 

 often very beautiful. They also help 

 us to realize how, for so very many 

 centuries, men have looked upon and 

 thought about the same beautiful con- 

 stellations which shine in our heavens 

 today Thus in early Greek mythology 

 Virgo was also a maiden who hanged 

 herself in grief at the death of her 

 father and who was placed in the sky 

 with Bootes and Procyon as attendants. 



The figure is the oldest purely allegori- 

 cal representation of innocence and 

 virtue. 



And when the observer has traced 

 out the very long and winding Water 

 Snake (now in its best position for 

 observation of the entire year) and the 

 two little constellations of the Cup and 

 the Crow above it, he is reminded of 

 the legend of how the blackbird was 

 sent for a cup of water by Phoebus 



Figure 2. The region about Virgo. Each star 

 mnrked T) is a double star, wliile earh star marked V 

 is a variable. N indicates a nebuln and S a star 

 cluster. Many of these are beautiful objects in the 

 telescope. 



Apollo and returned after a long time 

 with only a water snake in his mouth 

 and attempted to deceive the god by 

 false excuses. He was therefore con- 

 demned to remain always in the sky 

 with a snake and an empty cup near-by 

 as evidence of his guilt. Hydra, how- 

 ever, in far earlier times symbolized 

 the winding courses of the moon, and 

 on the Euphrates, three thousand years 

 ago, it was identified with the source 

 of the Eountains of the Great Deep. 



^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 



Learning the Constellations. 



Above Leo and Virgo, the reader 

 will have but very little difificulty in 

 tracing out the Great Bear, which now 

 rides in the highest point of the heav- 

 ens. The head and shoulders are at F, 

 three of the paws are at E, and the 

 long tail extends to D. Below this are 

 the well-marked groups of Corona, 

 Bootes and Herculis. 



To trace out and become entirely 

 familiar with these few constellations 

 will take the observer but a short while 

 on any pleasant, moonless. May even- 

 ing. And having done this, he will 

 have learned nearly half the area of 

 the visible spring sky. To become 

 familiar with all of the brighter stars 

 is, in fact, far less difficult than is 



