THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



The Heavens in November. 



BY PROFESSOR ERIC DOOLITTLE, OF THE 

 UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



Throughout this month the sun is ghd- 

 ing rapidly downward among the stars 

 toward the winter solstice, so that the 

 steady shortening of the days is very 

 noticeable. On November i, the day is 

 three hours shorter than the night, but 

 by November 30 the inequality has in- 

 creased to five hours, which is only one- 

 half an hour less than on the shortest day 



servation, but it is at this time of the year 

 that the heavens are seen in their greatest 

 brilliance and beauty. 



^ :|; :): ;|; jj: 



The November Stars. 



Even at the very beginning of Novem- 

 ber we may witness the entrance of the 

 brilliant Orion and Gemini into our even- 

 ing sky, while by November 30 these con- 

 stellations will at the same hour be high 

 above the ground, and the beautiful Dog 

 Stars, Sirius and Procyon, wdll be seen 



Figure 1 The constellations at 9 V. M. November 1. (If facing south, hold the map upright. If facing 

 ' eastT^oVpast SowTf facing west hold West below. Tf facing north , hold map tnverted.). 



of the entire year. Though to many peo- 

 ple, and probably to most, this rapid les- 

 sening of the hours of daylight is far from 

 welcome, it is of the greatest advantage 

 to astronomers. Not only do the long 

 nio-hts give manv additional hours for ob- 



just rising. By this time the leaders of 

 the hrilliant winter groups will have filled 

 the whole eastern part of the heavens ; the 

 very bright group, Taurus, will have near- 

 ly reached the meridian and the Milky 

 W'av will form an arch over the entire 



