THE STARS FOR FEBRUARY. 587- 



who invented the constellation figures did not trouble themselves much about the 

 rotation of , the star-vault. 



There may be noticed in the northern heavens, as seen in February, a vacant 

 space above the pole, girt round by the constellations Auriga (the Charioteer) 

 overhead, Perseus (the Rescuer), Cassiopeia (the Seated Lady), Cepheus (her 

 royal husband), and the two Bears. In this poverty-stricken region there are no 

 stars of the first three magnitudes, and only four or five of the fourth magnitude. 

 The ancient astronomers could imagine no constellations in these spaces. It is 

 to the moderns, and especially to Hevelius, that we owe the constellations 

 which have been figured in these barren districts. The Camelopard, or Giraffe, 

 is one, the Lynx another. I cannot say, for my part, that I see either a giraffe 

 or a lynx there. Certainly, if you draw the connecting lines shown in the map, 

 you get as fair a picture of a giraffe (inverted at present) as can possibly be made 

 witti a couple of lines; but it seems to me — though I do not claim to be an artist 

 — that rather more than two lines are needed to picture a respectable giraffe. 

 Besides the lines are not on the sky, and the liveliest fancy would not think of 

 connecting these stars by imaginary lines, so widely remote are the stars, and so 

 insignificant. 



The Little Bear is now gradually getting round (at the selected hour of even- 

 ing observation) to a position such as a bear might reasonably assume. Last 

 month, this small bear was hanging head downward by the end of his absurdly 

 long tail. He is now slowly rising from that undignified position, and by next 

 month he will have fairly placed himself on his feet. For the present we can 

 leave him to his struggles; but next month we shall consider his history and the 

 duties which he has discharged for many hundreds of years. 



Turning to the southern skies, we find full compensation for the relatively 

 uninteresting aspect of the northern heavens. The most resplendent constella- 

 tion in the heavens is now in full glory in the south. There, close to the merid- 

 ian, or mid-south, 



" Begirt with many a blazing star, 

 Stands the great giant Algebar, 

 Orion, hunter of the beast: 

 His sword hangs gleaming by his side. 

 And on his arm the lion's hide 

 Scatters across the midnight air 

 The golden radiance of its hair." 



No one can mistake this most beautiful constellation. The two bright 

 shoulder stars, Betelgeux {alpha) and Bellatrix {gamma), the brilliant star Rigel 

 on the giant's advanced foot, the triply gemmed belt {zeta, epsilon, and delta), and 

 the pendent sword tipped with the bright star {iota), distinguish Orion unmis- 

 takably. But, besides these glories, there are others; the curve of small stars 

 forming the giant's shield (a lion's hide), the misty light of the great nebula which 

 lies on the sword (where shown), and on clear nights the dappled light of the 



