272 THROUGH LIBRARY WINDOWS 



may as well indulge a little more. In this same 

 constellation "Bootes" who is the famous 

 driver of the guardians of the Pole and certain- 

 ly making good time, is "Arcturus the Magnifi- 

 cent." With his attending worlds he must add 

 to the splendor of this endless bear chase. Arc- 

 turus is a star of the first magnitude, and is 

 easily seen from April to October. He is dis- 

 tant from us, according to late measurements, 

 one thousand million million miles! He is a 

 million times larger than our Sun, having a 

 diameter one hundred times greater ! This vast 

 sun is bowling along the face of the sky under 

 the North Pole at the rate of more than a hun- 

 dred miles per second. No wonder he is called 

 'Arcturus the Magnificent," a giant, indeed, 

 and needs one thousand two hundred years to 

 complete a single revolution. Job spoke of 

 Arcturus full 1700 years B. C. "Canst thou 

 guide Arcturus with his planets?" Homer 

 mentions him 900 B. C. Groombridge in nine 

 thousand years may be in "Berenice's Hair!" 



Greek mythology enters into the history of 

 the stars, and singularly enough clings to them. 

 Attempts have often been made to christianize 

 the heavens and to call the twelve signs of the 

 Zodiac after the Apostles; Peter, was to take 

 the place of the Ram, as was most fitting, and 



