HOW TO FIND THE CONSTELLATIONS. 
79 
about fifteen or twenty degrees, may be seen a star of the first 
magnitude which keeps up an almost incessant twinkling. This 
marks the position of the constellation Pisces Australis, the 
Southern Fish, and is about the only star out of the twenty-four 
composing this constellation that can be seen in this latitude, 
except on very favorable occasions. The name of this star is 
Formalhaut, and it is also one of the stars whose position has 
been determined with great accuracy to enable navigators to 
find their longitude at sea. 
Turning now to the west and resting the gaze about half way 
from horizon to zenith, the observer can readily detect a group 
of six stars just above Corona Borealis in the form of a fanciful 
letter H with curved sides, and resting on one side, the lower 
side being longer and the upper being the sharper curve This 
is the distinguishing group in the constellation Hercules. This 
is one of the largest constellations in the heavens and contains 
113 stars, all but one being below the second magnitude. A 
special interest clings to this constellation from the fact that it 
contains a point called the Apex of the Sun’s Way. This simply 
means that the sun, with its train of planets and their satellites, 
is moving through space with a velocity of eleven miles per sec¬ 
ond, and that the point in the heavens to which the movement 
is directed is a certain point in the constellation Hercules. 
If the observer will now face completely about and look 
toward the east, he can make out plainly, a group of stars form¬ 
ing a large square at an altitude of about thirty degrees, the 
stars being of the second magnitude. These stars are about 
fifteen degrees apart and so disposed, when in this position, 
that one of the diagonals is perpendicular to the horizon. This 
is the distinguishing group of the constellation Pegasus, or the 
Winged Horse, and is knowm as the Square of Pegasus, although 
the star in the left hand corner belongs to the constellation 
Andromeda, and is known by the name of Alpheratz. The star 
in the corner of the square nearest to the horizon is called 
Algenib. Pegasus, according to the mythologists, is the cele¬ 
brated horse which sprung from the head of Medusa after Per¬ 
seus had cut it off. 
