Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48, No. XVIII, April, 1854Various
General
Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48, No. XVIII, April, 1854
Various
Fashion -- 19th century -- Periodicals; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Women's periodicals, American
She was very obliging, and gave Edith, to whom she had become strongly
attached, a grand wedding in the southern fashion, which lasted two days,
and she hung the pine grove with colored lamps, so that the dark woods
took, for that occasion only, quite a festal appearance.
[Illustration]
CELESTIAL PHENOMENA.--APRIL.
BY D. W. BELISLE.
LEO.--This is one of the most clearly defined and brilliant constellations
in the winter hemisphere, containing an unusual number of very bright
stars. It is situated east of Cancer, and comes to the meridian the sixth
of this month. This constellation contains ninety-five stars visible to
the naked eye.
"Two splendid stars of highest dignity,
Two of the second class the Lion boasts,
And justly figures the fierce summer's rage."
Five very bright stars in this constellation are grouped in the form of
a sickle. Regulus, in the shoulder of Leo, is the lowest of this group,
and forms the end of the handle in the sickle. It is the brightest star
in the cluster, and is of great use to nautical men in determining their
longitude at sea. Eta, a small glittering star, marks the other end of
the handle, while Al Gieba Adhafera, Ras al Asad, and Lambda form the
blade. Two small stars, at an equal distance from Lambda, form a small
right-angled triangle. Denebola, in the brush of the tail, is a star of
the first magnitude, and, with Zozma in the back, and Theta in the thigh,
form a triangle whose vertex is Denebola.
According to Greek mythology, the Lion was one of the formidable animals
killed by Hercules in the forests of Nemæa, and was placed by Jupiter in
the heavens to commemorate the event. Egyptian mythologists claim the
honor of having placed it there, asserting it was placed in the heavens
to commemorate the haunting of the banks of the Nile during the heat of
summer by these monsters, the river then being at its highest elevation.
* * * * *
LEO MINOR.--This constellation is of modern origin, occupying the space
between Ursa Major and Leo Major. The stars in the cluster are of the
third and fourth magnitude, with no particular interest attached to them.
It comes to the meridian the 6th of April.
* * * * *
SEXTANT.--This is a small constellation south of Leo, and contains
forty-one stars, all very small and unimportant, and comes to the meridian
the 6th of April. This constellation is sometimes called Urania's Sextant,
in honor of one of the muses who presided over Astronomy. Urania was
daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne.
* * * * *
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