THE SUN AND OTHER STARS 273 



West of Pegasus, almost straight west from the observer, 

 and nearly halfway up from the western horizon to the ze- 

 nith is a diamond-shaped group of stars in the constellation 

 Delphinus. This group is often called "Job's Coffin." 



276. Stars visible in January, February, and March. In 

 February, at eight o'clock in the evening, directly to the east 

 of the Pole Star is the Big Dipper. To the west of the 

 pole is Cassiopeia. If the observer faces the south he will 

 see a brilliant star just east of his meridian and about one 

 third of the way up from the horizon to the zenith. This is 

 the great first-magnitude star Sirius, in the constellation 

 Canis Major, or the Great Dog. Although this star is 

 comparatively near to us, only three or four being nearer, 

 it requires 8.4 years for its light to come to us, and its 

 distance is 50,000,000,000,000 miles. It is approaching us 

 at the rate of about four miles per second ; but this change, 

 which will amount to more than 100,000,000 miles in a year, 

 is of little relative consequence and will make no noticeable 

 difference in its brightness for thousands of years. If Sirius 

 should suddenly cease to exist we should continue to see its 

 light for over eight years afterwards. 



A little farther to the east, and somewhat higher than 

 Sirius, is another first-magnitude star, Procyon, in Canis 

 Minor, the Lesser Dog. Almost straight north of Procyon, 

 and about straight east from the observer, are two stars 

 of about the same magnitude, in the constellation Gemini, 

 the Twins. The reason they are called the " twins " is 

 obvious when one looks at them. The more northerly of the 

 two is called Castor, the other one is Pollux. About ten 

 degrees southwest of Pollux is an open cluster of stars called 

 Praesepe, the Beehive, which can easily be seen on a clear 

 and moonless night. 



Immediately west of the meridian, and about halfway 

 from the horizon to the zenith, is the group of stars known 

 as Orion (fig. 134), located in the most brilliant part of the 



