82 
THE GUIDE TO NATURE 
In Figure 3 the fainter stars in the 
neighborhood are shown, although 
there is little chance of a mistake in 
finding the planet. The stars joined 
by the line are those joined in Figure 1. 
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November Meteors. 
This is the best month of the year 
for the observation of meteors. The 
Leonids appear to shoot in all direc- 
tions from the constellation Leo. They 
can be seen only late at night. The 
middle of the period when they may 
be seen is November 14. They may be 
seen on other nights about this time. 
The Andromedids come from Andro- 
meda, which is nearly overhead in the 
early evening. These meteors may be 
seen in the early evenings about No- 
vember 26. 
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Eclipse of Algol. 
The star Algol or Beta Persei at K, 
Figure 1, is partially eclipsed at inter- 
vals of a little less than three days. The 
star will be faintest November 18, 
10:06 P. M., and November 21. 6:55 
P. M. The star should be located and 
its brightness noted on nights previous 
to the eclipses. Several hours are re- 
quired for complete eclipses. 
At L. Figure 1, is the great nebula in 
Andromeda, an object faintly visible to 
the naked eye on dark nights. 
Diameter of Stars. 
Less than a year ago announcement 
was made that the diameter of the star 
Betelgeuse had been measured. The 
revised results showed that the dia- 
meter of this star is 238.000,000 miles. 
It was believed that this was the 
largest of all stars. Later observations 
by the same observers have shown that 
Antares in the constellation Scorpius is 
still larger. Because of uncertainty in 
the distance of this star its diameter 
cannot be stated with great accuracy. 
The smallest value resulting from the 
use of the different determinations of 
the distance makes the diameter 280,- 
000.000 miles and thus the volume 31,- 
000,000 times that of the sun. Antares 
is not on the map. It may be seen very 
low in the southwest in the very early 
evening. 
The distance of the Pleiades (the 
group of stars at M, Figure 1) has 
been determined recently. The results 
show the distance to be about 325 light 
years. 
In November. 
Think you the earth is dreary 
Because November’s here? 
Are you, then, a-weary 
Of this dull month o’ year? 
Come with me to the woodland, 
Where Nature hath precious store; 
Where color you’ll find, and beauty, 
And many a treasure more. 
See ferns as green as summer, 
(Those that love winter, too.) 
Spreading their fairy circles 
The winding pathway through. 
The spruces, pines and hemlocks 
Are fresh as it were June, 
And balsam firs as fragrant 
As with the birds attune. 
The mosses, in profusion, 
Wear brightest green of all. 
And the exuberance of summer 
Refreshingly recall. 
Where will you find such tissues 
As young birch saplings show? 
With a riot of brilliant shadings 
Their boles are all aglow. 
Buds, too, revel in color, 
Bronze and green and brown; 
Rose in the dainty moosewood, 
Gold in the willow’s crown. 
Now, can you call it dreary, 
When gems like these abound? 
Though you may indeed be weary 
Before the half is found. 
— Emma Peirce. 
The Massachusetts Audubon Society, 
Newberry Street. Boston, furnishes its 
check lists of birds free to all who ask 
for them. Many persons keep these 
lists each year and turn their records in 
at the society’s office. Even children 
send in lists of sixty to more than a 
hundred species seen. 
