Sky Sttcdy 891 



The two Dippers open toward each other, and some one said "they pour 

 into each other." 



The Big Dipper is a part of a constellation called Ursa Major, the 

 Great Bear; and the Little Dipper is the Little Bear, the handle of the 

 dipper being the bear's tail. 



There is an ancient myth telling the story of the Big and Little 

 Bears: A beautiful mother called Callisto had a little son whom 

 she named Areas. Callisto was so beautiful that she awakened the 

 anger of Juno, who changed her to a bear; and when her son grew up 

 he became a hunter, and one day would have killed his transformed 

 mother; but Jupiter seeing the danger of this crime caught the two up into 

 the heavens, and set them there as shining stars. But Juno was still 

 vindictive, so she wrought a spell which never allowed these stars to rise and 

 set like other stars, but kept them always moving around and around. 



References — The Friendly Stars by Martin is a most delightful book and 

 at the same time gives explicit directions for finding the stars and much 

 interesting information concerning them. The planisphere is a little chart 

 with a mechanical device which enables us to find what stars are in sight 

 every night of the year, or at any time of night. It is published by Thos. 

 Whittaker, Bible House, New York, and costs seventy-five cents. 



LESSON CCXXV 

 The Two Dippers 



Leading thought — The North Star or Pole-star may always be found by 

 the stars known as the pointers in the Big Dipper; the stars of the Big 

 Dipper seem to revolve around the Pole-star once in twenty-four hours. 



Method — The time to begin these observations is when the moon is in its 

 last quarter, so that the moonlight will not make pale the stars in early 

 evening. Draw upon the blackboard, from the chart shown on page 890, the 

 Big Dipper and the Pole-star, with a line extending through the pointers. 

 Say to the pupils that this Big Dipper is above or below or at one side of the 

 Pole-star, and that you wish them to observe for themselves where it is and 

 tell you about it the next day. After they surely know the Big Dipper, ask 

 the following questions : 



Observations — i . Can you find the Big Dipper among the stars 



2. Is it in the north, south, east or west? 



3. Which stars are the "pointers" in the dipper, and why are they 

 called so ? 



4. Make a drawing showing how you can always find the Pole-star, if 

 you can see the Big Dipper. 



5. How many stars make the bowl of the Dipper? 



6. How many stars in the handle ? 



7 . Is the handle straight or is it curved ? 



8. Does the Big Dipper open toward the Pole-star, or away from it? 



9. Is it above or below the Pole-star at eight o'clock in the evening, or 

 at the right or the left of it ? 



10. . Does the Big Dipper remain in the same direction from the Pole- 

 star all night ? Look at it at seven o'clock and again at nine o'clock and see 

 if it has changed position ? 



1 1 . Do you think it moves around the Pole-star once every twenty-four 

 hours? In which direction ? How could you tell the time of night by the 

 Big Dipper and the Pole-star? 



