A Field Book of the Stars Part 4

ANTINOS]

DELPHINUS (del-fi-nus)--THE DOLPHIN, OR JOB'S COFFIN. (Face Southeast.)

LOCATION.--The little cl.u.s.ter of five stars forming Delphinus is to be seen about 10 northeast of Altair, and, though there are no bright stars in the group, it can hardly escape notice. A line drawn from Vega to Albireo, and prolonged about 20, strikes the star e in the tail of the Dolphin. The four other stars of prominence in the constellation are a little above e, and form a diamond-shaped figure.

The little asterisms Sagitta, the Arrow, and Vulpecula and Anser, the Fox and Goose, are shown just above Delphinus.

Delphinus is also called Job's Coffin. The origin of this appellation is unknown.

In Greece, Delphinus was the Sacred Fish, the sky emblem of philanthropy. The Arabs called it the "Riding Camel."

The star ? Delphini is a fine double for a small telescope with a marked and beautiful contrast of colors.

The names for a and reversed spell "Nicolaus Venator," the Latinized name of the a.s.sistant to the astronomer Piazzi.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DELPHINUS]

SAGITTARIUS (saj-i-ta-ri-us)--THE ARCHER. (Face South.)

LOCATION.--A line drawn from Deneb, in Cygnus, to Altair, in Aquila, and prolonged an equal distance, terminates in Sagittarius about 10 east of its distinguis.h.i.+ng characteristic, the Milk Dipper.

Sagittarius is one of the signs of the zodiac, and lies between Capricornus, on the east, and Scorpius, on the west.

The bow is easily traced out. ? marks the arrow's tip.

Note the star , which serves to point out the Winter Solstice, where the solst.i.tial colure intersects the ecliptic.

On a clear night, the pretty cl.u.s.ter known as Corona Australis, the Southern Crown, can be seen about 10 below the bowl of the Milk Dipper. Its lucida, the fourth-magnitude star Alfecca Meridiana culminates at 9 P.M., August 13th.

Sagittarius is about due south, in a splendid position for observation, during the month of July, between the hours of nine-thirty and eleven o'clock P.M.

Observe with an opera-gla.s.s the fine cl.u.s.ters 20 M. and 8 M., also an almost circular black void near the stars ? and d, and to the east of this spot another of narrow crescent form.

The stars f and ? in the Milk Dipper are moving in opposite directions. Future generations therefore will not have this time-honored figure to guide them in locating the Archer in their summer night skies.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SAGITTARIUS]

OPHIUCHUS (of-i-u-kus)--THE SERPENT BEARER, AND SERPENS. (Face Southwest.)

LOCATION.--A line drawn from e Delphini to ? Aquil, prolonged about 30, strikes the star Ras Alhague, the brightest star in the constellation and the head of Ophiuchus. It is at one angle of an isosceles triangle, of which Altair is at the apex, and Vega the third angle.

Two constellations are here combined. Ophiuchus is represented as an old man, holding in his hands a writhing serpent.

Ras Algethi, marking the head of Hercules, lies just west of Ras Alhague.

Equally distant southeast and southwest of Ras Alhague are to be seen two stars close together, representing the shoulders of Ophiuchus. His foot rests on the Scorpion just above Antares.

The head of Serpens is the star group in the form of an "X" just below the Crown.

1604 indicates the spot where in that year a famous temporary star appeared, called Kepler's star.

Note the asterism the "Bull of Poniatowski" just east of ?. The star marked 70 is one of the most distant stars for which a parallax has been obtained. Its distance from the earth = 1,300,000 radii of the earth's...o...b..t, or 120 quadrillion miles.

There is something remarkable in the central position of this gigantic figure. It is situated almost exactly in the mid-heavens, being nearly equidistant from the poles, and midway between the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: OPHIUCHUS

SERPENS]

SCORPIUS (skr-pi-us)--THE SCORPION. (Face South.)

LOCATION.--Scorpius, one of the signs of the zodiac, is a beautiful star group, and one that is easily traced out. It lies just under the Serpent Bearer, between Sagittarius and Libra.

The resemblance to a Scorpion is not difficult to see, hence this constellation is perhaps the most aptly named of any.

The ruddy star Antares, the brightest star in the constellation, is in the heart of the Scorpion. It lies about 40 southwest of Ras Alhague, in Ophiuchus, and a little over 20 west of the bow of Sagittarius.

The fact that it is the most brilliant star in this region of the sky renders its ident.i.ty unmistakable. It is one of the reddest stars in the firmament.

There are several star cl.u.s.ters and double stars to be seen in this constellation. Their position is indicated in the diagram.

The curved tail of the Scorpion is very conspicuous. ? and ? are a striking pair and the fine cl.u.s.ters above them can be seen with the naked eye.

A record of a lunar occultation of Scorpii in 295 B.C. is extant.

Note a pair just below . They are known as ? and ?.

In this region of the sky have appeared many of the brilliant temporary stars, the first one in astronomical annals being discovered in 134 B.C.

Scorpius is mentioned by all the early writers on astronomy and is supposed to be so named because in Egypt it was a sickly time of the year when the sun entered this sign.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SCORPIUS]