To locate a planet in modern days one has only to look up its position in the almanac or on a monthly sky map and then find it similarly located in the same constellation in the sky. The Monthly Evening Sky Map, an eight page journal for the amateur published by Leon Barritt, 150 Nassau St., New York, contains not only a map of the sky for every month, but also current astronomical news. With such aid, after becoming familiar with the belt of zodiacal constellations--which are easily learned by the following verse, it is not difficult to find the nearest planets. "The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins And next the Crab, the Lion shines The Virgin and the Scales. The Scorpion, the Archer and He-goat, The Man that holds the Watering-pot, The Fish with glittering tails." Both Venus and Jupiter are brighter than first magnitude stars and will be recognized with but little difficulty. Mars and Saturn are as bright as first magnitude stars, although Saturn is not so easy to find unless its location is definitely known. Venus is a very white star, Jupiter a bright yellow, Saturn a pale orange, and Mars a fiery red. Mars wanders farther south than any other planet seen in the evening skies. Mercury may sometimes be seen after sunset in the spring or before sunrise in the fall, but only for a few days at a time and hence will seldom be seen by one who does not know just when, as well as where, to look for it. Uranus and Neptune are too far away and the planetoids too small to be of much interest to amateurs. If examined with a glass the planets will show a bright round disk while a star is no more than a point of light. Mercury and Venus show phases just as our moon for their orbits lie between the earth and the sun. Venus is particularly beautiful as a crescent and is best seen in the west near the setting sun. Jupiter ranks second in popularity for even a field-glass discloses his round shining face and four of his principal moons. THE PLANETOIDS THE MINIATURE WORLDS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM