228 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[October, 1901. 



west equatorial wiugs parallel to the equator, and the 

 gi-oups of radiating plumes round the north and south 

 poles. But the equat-orial extensions are even more 

 strictly than in 1900, parallel to the equator, and the 

 polar plumes ai-& fewer and more distinct. 



It is no good qiiarrelling with a minimum corona 

 because it is a minimum corona; we have to accept the 

 fact that it is of a compara.tively simple structure and 

 learn the lessons which that fact has to teach. 



Yet even this corona, at a time of almost utter sun- 

 spot stagnation, shows, though more feebly than the two 

 preceding eclipses, the synclinal curves rising from the 

 prominence regions a.nd terminating in narrow rod-like 

 rays. And as" in 1900, the corona is still invaded by 

 what would appeal- to be " dark rays," though these are 

 less clearly distinguishable from mere rifts than in that 

 eclipse. 



Upon the more routine observations it is not 

 necessaiy now to enlai'ge. The times of the second, 

 third and fourth contacts were successfully deteiTnined 

 by three independent obsei-vers at the Observatory, and 

 by a fourth, Capt. Robei-tson, of the British India 

 s.s. " Ugina,'" at Port Louis, to whom we are indebted 

 for the accompanying photograph of the partial phase 

 taken by his chief officer from the deck of the vessel. 

 ]Mr. Clakton also took a very fine scries of thirty-four 

 photographs of the partial phase with the Maui-itius 

 photoheliogi-aph on a scale of eight inches, for the moon's 

 diameter and place. And the list of photogi-aphs may 

 be concluded by one which, though of no scientific value, 

 is certainly unique, namely, a photograph of the corona 

 taken with a pinhole camera belonging to Mrs. Maunder, 

 aperture 1/32 of an inch, focus 33 inches, and exposure 

 3i minutes on an Imperial Special Rapid plate. 



CONSTELLATION STUDIES. 



By E. Walter Maunder, f.r.a.s. 



IX.— THE SEA-MONSTER AND THE FLOOD. 



In our Constellation Study for June, I drew attention 

 to the familiar fact that so many of the fonns of the 

 jrimitive constellations are duplicated, and that when 

 thus repeated, the twin symbols are, as a i-ule, not 

 widely separated, but placed close together. The bird 

 region on the Milky Way is a remarkable instance of 

 this. But a still more striking one is found in the por- 

 tion of the heavens which we have now reached. We 

 are in the midst of the signs of fish and water. 



The first token of these marine symbols occui's in the 

 pretty little constellation of the Dolphin that coils itself 

 behind the outstretched wing of the Eagle. Then 

 follows the fishtail of Capricorn. Next we have 

 Aquarius, with the broad stream flowing from his ewer, 

 and the Southern Fish at his feet. Aquarius is 

 succeeded on the Ecliptic by the long constellation of 

 Pisces, a pair of fishes united by a waving riband. 

 Below this group two other constellations repeat in 

 more terrible fonn the design of the water-pot of 

 Aquarius. A huge marine dragon known to us to-day 

 as Cetus, the " Whale," but traditionally rather of 

 saui-ian form, like the 



" Monstrous eft that of old was lord aud master of earth," 



pom-3 forth from his mouth a vast bifurcating flood, 

 which sweeps down below the horizon. 



It is impossible to suppose that the association of 

 these seven watery constellations in such close connec- 

 tion with each oilier can possibly be accidental. We 



may dismiss at once the idea that they have any special 

 reference to the rainy season, for an eighth water con- 

 stellation is supplied us in Hydra, the Water Snake, 

 which, with the seven just named, very nearly completes 

 the circuit of the sky. We should therefore have to 

 conclude that we were dealing with a climate which 

 was rainy throughout the year, a circumstance not 

 likely to be symbolized in this particular fashion. 



Anything like an adequate discussion of the true sig- 

 nificance of this grouping would lead us too far- astray 

 from our present puqjose. Greek mythology saw in 

 Cetus the monster which Neptune sent to destroy 

 Andromeda, in punishment for the pride and insolence 

 of her mother Cassiopeia, and this, of course, is the 

 account of Aratus. 



" Mark where the savage Cetu.s, crouching, eyes 

 Andromeda, secure in northern skies ; 

 The Fish and liorned Ram his progress bar, 

 Nor dares he pass the track of Phcebus' car." 



Brown identifies Cetus with the Euphratean Tiamat, 

 the spirit of Chaos, the enemy of the beneficent gods, 

 and opposed to law and order; and ho notes that the 

 southern heavens are generally given over to creatures 

 of like ill significance — Hydra, Scorpio, Lupus, CorMis, 

 Canis — representing, with Cetus, perhaps six of the 

 " Seven Evil Spirits " of Akkadian mythology. 



To the eye, the principal stars of Cetus form the out^ 

 line of a lounge chair, spreading over a vast expanse of 

 sky, its length being 50°, its average breadth 25°. 

 Though none of its stai-s are bright. Beta only being of 

 the second magnitude, and Alpha about 2i, the general 

 outline can be pretty easily followed. Proceeding from 

 east to west. Kappa, Alpha, Gamma, Delta and Omirron 

 mai-k out the headrest of the lounge chair, or if we 

 prefer so to speak of it, the lower jaw of the monster. 

 The body of the chair is caixied on by Theta and Eta, 

 whence the axis of the constellation curves down to 

 Beta, the footrest of the chair, or the tail of the beast. 

 The back leg of the chair is marked by Epsilon and Pi, 

 in a straight line with Omicron ; whilst Zeta, Tau and 

 Upsilon, springing from Omicron in a graceful curve, 

 mark the front leg. Only a few of the stai-s have 

 distinctive names in common use at present. Aljiha is 

 known inappropriately as Menkai-, the " Snout," as the 

 title more strictly belongs to Lambda, the fifth mag- 

 nitude stsiv above it. Beta is Diphda, the " Frog," its 

 full name being Diphda al Tania, the " Second Frog," 

 the first being Fomalhaut. These two stars were grouped 

 together by Aratus as well as by the Ai-abs. 



" The southern Fish beneath Aquarius glides, 

 And upwards turns to Cetus' scaly sides. 

 Rolls from Aquarius' vase a limpid stream 

 Where numerous stars like sparkling bubbles gle;im ; 

 But two alone beyond the others shine ; 

 This on the Fish's jaw — that on the Monster's spine." 



7'hc star of Cetus is Omicron; its title of Mira, 

 " Wonderful," being justly given to it because of its 

 remarkable variations. It does not occur in Ptolemy's 

 Catalogue, and the first recorded observation took place 

 in 1596, when David Fabricius observed it as a third 

 magnitude star. At its minimum it entirely disappears 

 from the unaided sight, its brightness sinking down in 

 the extreme case as low as magnitude 9^. Its maximum 

 is usually about that of the third magnitude, but it 

 has been known almost to equal Aldebaran. Its period 

 of variation occupies eleven months, for about half of 

 which it is invisible to the naked eye. Under ordinai-y 

 circumstances, therefore, its brightness at maximum is 

 four hundred times that at minimvim half a year earlier; 

 whilst its extreme range of brightness is four times as 



