82 NATURE STUDY REVIEW [10:3— Mar., 1914 



called the Hyades. These form a part of the head of the constella- 

 tion called by the ancients, Taurus, the Bull. Aldebaran is the 

 fiery eye of the mad bull. This beautiful rosy Aldebaran is a 

 comparatively near neighbor of ours, since it takes light only 

 32 years to pass from it to us. It is much larger than our sun for 

 it gives off about 45 times as much light. 



The Pleiades (Plee-i-dees) 



Up in the western sky about as far beyond Aldebaran as Alde- 

 baran is beyond the belt of Orion is a little misty group of stars 

 which seems always to have attracted the attention of people 

 during all the ages. This constellation is called the Pleiades. 

 Most eyes are only sufficient strong to count six stars in this 

 group. Through a glass nine stars may be distinguished. In 

 studying this constellation we can realize better than in any other 

 the wonders which photography have performed in revealing 

 stars which we cannot see. Sky photography shows us that there 

 are more than three thousand stars in this little constellation; 

 and astronomers believe that it is a great star system now being 

 developed. These stars which look so close together to us are so far 

 apart that our own sun and all its planets could roll between them 

 unnoticed. It requires several years for light to travel from one 

 of these stars in the Pleiades to another, and the whole constella- 

 tion is so far away from us that we cannot estimate the distance, 

 but we know that it takes light several hundred years to reach us 

 from them. The following question should be asked: 



How many stars can you see in the Pleiades ? 



How many stars can you see in the Hyades ? Make a sketch of 

 the Hyades showing Aldebaran. 



The Two Dog Stars 



Make a map of Orion on the board and extend the line X through 

 the belt toward the horizon. This line will reach a very brilliant 

 star, which is the Big Dog Star, Sirius. Then draw lines yy^ 

 joining Betelgeuse, Rigel and Sirius and complete the kite shaped 

 figure by lines y^ y^ which will meet in Procyon, the Little Dog 

 Star. The following questions should be asked after the pupils 

 have observed these two stars. 



Which rises first, Orion or Sirius? What color is Sirius? Why 

 is Sirius called the Big Dog Star? 



