270 ELEMENTS OF GENERAL SCIENCE 



274. TJie constellations. Any observer will note that the 

 stars are grouped in such ways that the brighter stars often 

 form more or less conspicuous figures. For example, the Big 

 Dipper (fig. 133), and the Pleiades, as well as several other 



FIG. 132. Spiral nebula 

 Photograph by the Yerkes Observatory 



prominent groups, are recognized by most people. The more 

 prominent groups of stars or constellations were given fan- 

 tastic names by ancient peoples. The imagined forms of con- 

 stellations furnished the basis of many primitive myths, and 

 although the myth has passed away, the names are still used. 



