Part 5 (1/2)

LIBRA (li-bra)--THE SCALES. (Face Southwest.)

LOCATION.--Libra is one of the signs of the zodiac, and lies between Virgo and Scorpius. Its two chief stars, a and , may be recognized west of and above the head of the Scorpion.

The star ? Libr is about 20 northwest of Antares in the Scorpion.

Spica in Virgo, a star of the first magnitude, is a little over 20 northwest of a Libr.

A quadrilateral is formed by the stars a, , ?, e, which characterizes the constellation.

The star a Libr looks elongated. An opera-gla.s.s shows that it has a fifth-magnitude companion.

is a pale green star. Its color is very unusual.

Lyra, Corona, and Hercules are almost directly overhead in the early evening, during July and August, and can best be observed in a reclining position. Thus placed, with an opera-gla.s.s to a.s.sist the vision, you may study to the best advantage the wonderful sight spread out before you, and search depths only measured by the power of your gla.s.s.

When the sun enters the sign Libra the days and nights are equal all over the world and seem to observe a certain equilibrium like a balance, hence the name of the constellation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LIBRA]

CORONA BOREALIS (ko-ron bo-re-a-lis)--THE NORTHERN CROWN.

LOCATION.--A line drawn from a Cygni, to a Lyr, and projected a little over 40, terminates in the Crown, which lies between Hercules and Botes, and just above the diamond-shaped group of stars in the head of the Serpent.

The characteristic semicircle resembling a crown is easily traced out.

The princ.i.p.al stars are of the fourth magnitude excepting Gemma, which is a second-magnitude star and known as the ”Pearl of the Crown.”

Gemma, sometimes called Alphacca, forms with the stars Seginus and Arcturus, in Botes, an isosceles triangle, the vertex of which is at Arcturus.

Close to e a famous temporary appeared suddenly May 12, 1866, as a second-magnitude star. It was known as the ”Blaze Star” and was visible to the naked eye only eight days, fading at that time to a tenth-magnitude star, and then rising to an eighth-magnitude, where it still remains.

The native Australians called this constellation ”The Boomerang.” To the Hebrews it was ”Ataroth” and by this name it is known in the East to-day. No two of the seven stars composing the Crown are moving in the same direction or at the same rate.

a Coron is seventy-eight light years distant and sixty times brighter than the sun.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CORONA BOREALIS]

HERCULES (her-ku-lez)--THE KNEELER.

LOCATION.--A line drawn from either Vega, in Lyra, or Altair, in Aquila, to Gemma, in Corona Borealis, pa.s.ses through this constellation. The left foot of Hercules rests on the head of Draco, on the north, and his head nearly touches the head of Ophiuchus on the south.

The star in the head of Hercules, Ras Algethi, is about 25 southeast of Corona Borealis.