ASTROXOMY WITH AN OPERA-GLASS. 57 



an ordinary opera-glass they are thrown well apart, and present a 

 very pretty sight. The star Beta, or Dabih, is also a double star 

 with a glass magnifying five or six times, the smaller star being of 

 the seventh magnitude and skj^-blue in color. 



The star Rho (p) is a double that will severely test your glass, and 

 it is useless to undertake to see the companion unless your magnifying 

 ]>o\ver is as much as six times, and the glass of excellent quality. 



With the most powerful glass at your disposal, sweep from the 

 star Zeta (^) eastward a distance somewhat greater than that separating 

 Alpha and Beta, and you will find a fifth-magnitude star beside a little 

 nebulous spot. This is the cluster known as M 30, one of those sun- 

 swarms that overwhelm the mind of the contemplative observer with 

 astonishment, and especially remarkable in this case for the apparent 

 vacancy of the heavens immediately surrounding the cluster, as if all 

 the stars in that neighborhood bad been drawn into the great assem- 

 blage, leaving a void around it. Of course, with the instrument that 

 our observer is supposed to be using, merely the existence of this solar 

 throng can be detected ; but, if he sees that it is there, he may be led 

 to provide himself with a telescope capable of revealing its glories. 



Admiral Smyth remai'ks that " although Capricorn is not a striking 

 object, it has been the very pet of all constellations with astrologers," 

 and he quotes from an old almanac of the year 1386 that "whoso is 

 borne in Capcorn schal be ryche and wel lufyd." The mythological 

 account of the constellation is that it represents the goat into which 

 Pan was turned in order to escape from the giant Typhon, who once 

 on a time scared all the gods out of their wits, and caused them to 

 change themselves into animals, even Jupiter assuming the form of a 

 ram. According to some authorities, Piscis Australis represents the 

 fish into which Venus changed herself on that interesting occasion. 



Dii-ectly above Piscis Australis, and to the east or left of Capri- 

 corn, the map shows the constellation of Aquarius, or the Water- 

 Bearer. Some say this represents Ganymede, the cup-bearer of the 

 gods. It is represented in old star-maps by the figure of a young man 

 pouring water from an urn. The star Alpha (a) marks his right shoul- 

 der, and Beta (/?) his left, and Gamma (y), Zeta (^), Eta (r;), and Pi 

 (tt) indicate his right hand and the urn. From this group a current of 

 small stars will be recognized, sweeping downward with a curve to- 

 ward the east, and ending at Foraalhaut ; this represents the Avater 

 poured from the urn, which the Southern Fish appears to be drinking. 

 It is worthy of remark, that in Greek, Latin, and Arabic this constel- 

 lation bears names all of which signify " a man pouring water." The 

 ancient Egyptians imagined that the setting of Aquarius caused the 

 rising of the Nile, as he sank his huge urn in the water to fill it. Al- 

 pha Aquarii was called by the Arabs Sadalmelik, which is interpreted 

 to mean the " king's lucky star," but whether it proved itself a lucky 

 star in war or in love, and what particular king enjoyed its benign in- 



