2io Trees, Stars, and Birds 



away as Regulus, we could see it only with the aid of a 

 telescope. 



The constellations of the zodiac. The zodiac, or 

 zone of animals, was divided by the ancients into twelve 

 parts called signs, each of which was named after a 

 constellation. The symbols or signs used for the twelve 

 divisions of the zodiac may still be seen in almanacs, 

 and various other places, as in the marble floor of the 

 rotunda of the Library of Congress. In order they are : 



T Aries, The Ram =*= Libra, The Balance 



H Taurus, The Bull ^ Scorpio, The Scorpion 



n Gemini, The Twins t Sagittarius, The Archer 



25 Cancer, The Crab X? Capricornus, The Goat's Horn 



SI Leo, The Lion zv Aquarius, The Water Carrier 



^ Virgo, The Virgin K Pisces, The Fishes 



After a few of the zodiacal constellations have been 

 learned, the others can be more easily located by their 

 position with respect to those learned first. A study of 

 the planets will help you to find them, for the planets 

 are always in one or another of these constellations. 



Families of stars. The star we call the sun, with 

 its planets and satellites, is moving at the rate of about 

 1 2 miles a second away from a point in the heavens near 

 Sirius. About one hundred other stars have been found 

 to be moving in a similar manner. These stars may be 

 thought of as a family whose members had a common 

 origin. The Pleiades and many faint stars in the same 

 region are moving in one direction and with one speed. 

 They constitute another great family of suns. There 

 are many such families in the universe. 



