PROJECTS 



PROJECT I. How a Boy Scout Determines Directions by the Stars, 

 pages 9 and 10 



Determining directions by the stars requires a little practice. 

 The necessary information may be found on pages 9 and 10 of 

 the body of the book. When you are in some locality where you 

 know the points of the compass, turn to the northern sky on a 

 clear night and see if you can locate the Big Dipper (Diagram, 

 p. 10). 



Remember that the stars in the north appear to go around in a 

 circle once every twenty-four hours (p. 8), and so you may find the 

 Big Dipper near the zenith (the point of the sky directly overhead), 

 down near the horizon, or somewhere on its circuit between these 

 two points. Rotate the diagram on page 10 about Polaris as a 

 center, and you will observe all the relative positions to the North 

 Star which the Big Dipper may occupy. 



If you live hi the southern portion of the United States, part of 

 the Big Dipper may disappear below the horizon when the con- 

 stellation swings below the North Star; but the "pointers" are 

 generally in sight. If you will follow the direction indicated by 

 these "pointers," as shown in the diagram on page 10, you will 

 find Polaris very easily. It is a lonesome-looking star, because it is 

 fairly bright and is surrounded by stars of lesser brilliance. To 

 identify it further, see if you can trace the Little Dipper. The 

 North Star forms the tip end of the handle (Diagram, p. 10). 



Now see if you can locate the constellation of Cassiopeia's Chair. 

 It is about as far from the North Star as the Big Dipper and always 

 on the opposite side of Polaris from that constellation (Diagram, 

 p. 10) . Above the North Star, it is M-shaped ; below Polaris, it 

 is inverted into a W-shaped cluster. 



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