TAURUS AND GEMINI. 



537 



seized and carried away by Jason and the Argonauts. The Hellespont is 

 so called from Helle, who fell from the Ram's back when being carried upon 

 it over the Black Sea. The Ram is here represented with the equinoctial ring. 

 We perceive in Aries two very bright stars near the head. These are 

 (a) Arietis and (7) Shcretan. The signs and 

 constellations do not now correspond as they 

 used to do, because of the change in the 

 position of the stars, which gives rise to the 

 Precession of the Equinoxes (vide ante., p. 

 497), so that the stars which two thousand 

 years ago were in conjunction with the sun, 

 are much more to the eastward. In olden 

 time (when astronomy was young), the sun 

 entered Aries on the 2ist March, and now 

 a change has taken place. But in about 



another twenty thousand years, they will all come right again. This will 

 be perceived by reference to the celestial globe. The Ram has sixty-six 

 stars in his constitution. 



TAURUS, the Bull, is the next constellation. He received his name 

 from the celebated animal into which Jupiter transformed himself when he 

 wished to carry away Europa. The star Aldebran (a) is the end of a kind 

 of V in the Bull's face. The Pleiades arc on the shoulder to the right. 

 This cluster of twinkling stars is well known, and will guide the observer 

 towards the imaginary Bull, which we must nowadays describe as rather 

 a fanciful delineation. Europe is called after Europa, because Jupiter, 

 as a Bull, carried her to this continent. There are 141 stars in Taurus, 

 according to the number found in the list of Aratus, and probably more. 



GEMINI, the Twins, which are supposed to be Castor and Pollux, though 



it is believed that two goats were the original 

 sign which statement, taken in connection 

 with the ram and the bull, that were also 

 turned out in the spring-time, may have some- 

 thing to recommend it. But now Castor and 

 Pollux are generally recognized as the con- 

 stellation. During the expedition for the 

 Golden Fleece, the electric appearance, now 

 known as St. Elmo's Fire, became visible 

 1 upon them, and their effigies were placed in 

 the forepart of ships as a good omen. This 

 led to the adoption of the " figure-head." 

 They were made into stars when Pollux was immortalized by Jupiter, for 

 he divided the boon with his brother. The planet Uranus was discovered 

 near this constellation, which contains eighty-five stars. 



Fig. 598. Gemini. 



