THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES _A Nature Lover's Astronomy_ BY FLORENCE ARMSTRONG GRONDAL NEW YORK THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1926 _All rights reserved_ IN GRATEFUL APPRECIATION OF HIS KINDLY AND HELPFUL INTEREST THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO SAMUEL L. BOOTHROYD PROFESSOR IN CHARGE OF THE FUERTES OBSERVATORY CORNELL UNIVERSITY ITHACA, N. Y. CONTENTS CHAPTER I BEHOLD--THE STARS! II AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STARS III THE ROMANCE OF THE STARS IV THE TWO SKY DIPPERS AND DRACO, THE DRAGON V THE STORY OF ANDROMEDA IN STARS Cepheus, the King--Cassiopeia, the Queen--Perseus, the Hero--Andromeda, the Princess--Pegasus, the Flying Horse--Cetus, the Sea-monster. VI THE PARADE OF THE ZENITH CONSTELLATIONS Leo, the Lion--Berenice's Hair--Boötes, the Herdsman--The Northern Crown--Hercules, the Giant--Lyra, the Harp--The Northern Cross. VII THE SPECTATORS OF THE ZENITH PAGEANT Aquila, the Eagle--Delphinus, the Dolphin--Sagittarius, the Archer--Hydra, the Watersnake--Auriga, the Charioteer. VIII GREAT STARS OF THE SOUTH Spica--Antares--Formalhaut--Sirius. IX THE STORY OF ORION AND TAURUS, THE BULL The Lion's Skin--Betelgeuse, on Orion's Shoulder--Rigel, on Orion's Foot--Orion's Head--Orion's Belt--The Great Nebula of Orion--Orion's Two Dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor--Taurus, the Bull--The Hyades--The Pleiades-Castor and Pollux, the Heavenly Twins. X ALONG THE MILKY WAY The Milky Way--The Two Crosses--The Magellanic Clouds. XI OUR NEAREST STAR--THE SUN The Surface of the Sun--An Eclipse of the Sun. XII THE CHILDREN OF THE SUN The Planets--The Planetoids--Comets--Meteors. XIII VENUS AND JUPITER The Bright Planet of Venus, the Goddess of Love--The Giant Planet of Jupiter, the King of the Gods. XIV MARS AND SATURN The Red Planet of Mars, the God of War--The Ringed Planet of Saturn, the God of Time. XV MERCURY, URANUS AND NEPTUNE The Tiny Planet of Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods--The Strange Planet of Uranus, the Ancient God of the Heavens--The Boundary Planet of Neptune, the God of the Sea. XVI THE EARTH--A PLANET AT CLOSE RANGE XVII THE EARTH'S MOON--A NEAR VIEW OF A SATELLITE PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE CITED INDEX FULL PAGE PLATES A Treasure Trove of 50,000 Stars An Irregular Nebula in Scutum Sobieski The Two Sky Dippers and Draco, the Dragon The Sky Drama of Andromeda The Story of Andromeda in Stars The Great Nebula of Andromeda The Zenith Pageant