Chap. X. SPLENDOUR OF THE CONSTELLATIONS. 205 



was SO intensely deep, that it made tlie stars doubly 

 bright in the vault of heaven. 



At that time the finest constellations of the Southern 

 Hemisphere were within view at the same time. The 

 constellation of the Ship, of the Cross, of the Centaur, 

 of the Scorpion, and the Belt of Orion, which include 

 the three brightest stars in the heavens, Sirius, Ca- 

 nopus, and a Centauri. 



The planets Yenus^ Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter were 

 in sight. 



The Magellanic clouds — white-looking patches, 

 especially the larger one — brightly illuminated as 

 they revolved round the starless South Pole, con- 

 trasting with the well-known " coal-sack " adjoining 

 the Southern Cross. 



The part of the Milky Way, between the 50° and 

 80° parallel, so beautiful and rich in crowded nebulse 

 and stars, seemed to be in a perfect blaze between 

 Sirius and the Centaur ; the heavens there appeared 

 brilliantly illuminated. 



Then looking northward, I could see the beautiful 

 constellation of the Great Bear, which was about the 

 same altitude above the horizon as the constellations 

 of the Cross and of the Centaur ; some of the stars in 

 the two constellations passing the meridian within a 

 short time of each other ; -y Ursse Majoris half an 

 hour before a Crucis, and Benetnasch eleven minutes 

 before /3 Centauri. 



Where and when could any one have a grander 

 view of the heavens at one glance ? From a Ursse 

 Majoris to a Crucis, there was an arc of 125°. Then, 

 as if to give a still grander view to tlie almost en- 



