THE ZODIACAL CONSTELLATIONS. 



This star is sometimes called Adrided ; it was called by the 

 Arabians Deneb. 



32. Every one is familiar with the fact that, in the coiirse of a 

 year, the sun appears to move round a great circle of the heavens 

 called the Ecliptic, and in so doing passes through a series of 

 constellations which lie in that route. The stars composing these 

 are generally included within a zone extending to 10 or 12 on 

 each side of the ecliptic. This zone is called the Zodiac, from the 

 Greek word ZwSioi' (Zodion), which signifies a small painted or 

 carved figure of an animal, the zodiac being filled with a series of 

 constellations, to which the names and forms of animals were 

 given. The twelve well-known zodiacal constellations are : 



Sign. I Sign. 



1. Aries (the ram) . <Y> 7. Libra (the balance) 



2. Taurus (the bull) . . 8 



3. Gremini (the twins) . n 



4. Cancer (the crab) . . 50 



5. Leo (the lion) . . T? 



6. Virgo (the virgin) . . nji 



5. Scorpio (the scorpion) . 

 9. Sagittarius (the archer) 



10. Capricorn us (the goat) 



11. Aquarius (the waterman) 



12. Pisces (the fishes) . 



The signs here annexed to the names are abridged means of 

 expressing not the constellations, but the successive divisions of 

 the ecliptic to which the constellation corresponded at the time 

 they received their names. It must here be explained, that by a 

 peculiar change which has taken place in the annual path of the 

 sun through the heavens, that luminary does not now follow 

 precisely the same course which it followed in remote ages. The 

 position of the sun on the day of the equinox is subject to a small 

 change from year to year, which, though insignificant in short in- 

 tervals of time, becomes very considerable when it accumulates for 

 ages. Thus, when the constellations of the zodiac received their 

 names, the sun entered the constellation Aries on the day of the 

 spring equinox ; but, owing to the cause just explained, the 

 moment at which it entered that constellation became from year 

 to year later and later, until, after the lapse of many centuries, it 

 did not enter Aries till a month after the day of the equinox. 

 During the first month after the equinox the sun is therefore at 

 present in the constellation of Pisces, and not in that of Aries. 



As there were twelve zodiacal constellations, the ecliptic in 

 which the sun revolves was divided into twelve equal arcs of 50 

 each, which were called signs, the first 30 commencing from 

 its position on the day of the equinox, was called the sign 

 Aries, the second Taurus, and so on. And although, owing to the 

 change of position of the ecliptic already indicated, the positions 

 of the constellations from which these signs have taken their 

 names have changed so that, in fact, the constellation Pisces is 



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