meridian, the Dolphin just east of it, and far south; Lyra is west of the meridian, Taurus Poniatowskii lower down and to the south, Serpentarius is just above Scorpio; next, in line with it and Polaris, is Hercules; Corona and Boötes are toward the northwest, where Coma Berenices is just setting. November. (7 P. M.)—In the North, Ursa Major is below Polaris, Ursa Minor and Draco are to the west, Cepheus above, and Cassiopeia above and to the east. In the Northeast, Auriga is just rising, and Perseus is above, nearly midway to the meridian. Along the Ecliptic, Taurus is just rising, next Aries and Pisces; Aquarius is on the meridian, south; then Capricornus, and lastly Sagittarius, in the southwest North of the Ecliptic, Pegasus and Andromeda lie east of the meridian, the Swan, Dolphin, Eagle, Taurus Poniatowskii, and Lyra west. In the Northwest are Hercules and Corona. December. (7 P. M.)—In the North, Cassiopeia is above Polaris, Cepheus above and to the west, Perseus above and to the east, Draco west, and Ursa Major below. In the Northeast, below Perseus, is Auriga. In the East, Orion is rising. Along the Ecliptic, Gemini is just rising, Taurus is nearly midway, next Aries, Pisces is on the meridian, then Aquarius, and lastly Capricornus, far in the southwest. In the South, east of the meridian, is Cetus, and west is Fomalhaut, North of the Ecliptic, Andromeda is nearly on the meridian, and Pegasus west of it; Cygnus, Delphinus, Lyra, and Aquila are about midway, while Taurus Poniatowskii is just sinking to the horizon. In the Northwest, Hercules is just setting. NOTE.-It should be borne in mind that a month makes a variation of about two hours (30°) in the rise of a star: hence, in the foregoing "Guide," the "January Sky" of 9 P. M. would be about the same as the "February Sky" of 7 P. M.; the "January Sky" of 11 P. M. would be about the same as the "March Sky" of 7 P. M., &c. In this way the "Guide" may be used for any hour in the night. The pupil will see that in the "Guide" the prominent figures and stars in each constellation are given in parentheses. Examples: the "Y" in Aquarius, the "scalene triangle" in Aries, "Job's coffin" in the Dolphin, "Procyon" in Canis Minor, &c. These aid in identifying the constellation. |