The music of the spheres : $b A nature lover's astronomyGrondal, Florence Armstrong
Science
The music of the spheres : $b A nature lover's astronomy
Grondal, Florence Armstrong
Astronomy
Thus is ended the story of Perseus and Andromeda and many of the
interesting bits of information connected with the constellations
of the various characters after they were transferred to the sky.
Three small constellations lie between Andromeda, Cetus and the Square
of Pegasus, and a word about them here will help to impress this part of
the sky upon the mind without the trouble of carrying maps every time
one feels inclined to gaze at the stars. These constellations are
Pisces, the Fish; Triangulum, the Triangle and Aries, the Ram.
[Figure 43]
Pisces represents two small fish tied by their tails by two long 'star
lines' which meet at a common star sometimes called Al Rischa or the
"Knot Star."
"Their tails point to an angle
Filled by a goodly star."
--_Aratus._
Although the constellation occupies a large space in the heavens it has
no conspicuous stars in it. It is best seen when the parallelogram of
Orion is in the sky and may be located above and to the west of Cetus.
Look for it on the first of January about 8 P. M. although it is
also viewed to good advantage when passing the meridian during the
evenings of October and November. Pisces lies in a region which in early
times was known as "the Sea" because several other sea-creatures such as
the Dolphin, which lies west of the Square, the Sea-goat and the Whale
are found here.
Some authorities claim that when the fire-breathing giant Typhon
appeared in Thessaly, the horrible creature so frightened the
inhabitants of Olympus that they fled to the Nile where they concealed
themselves under assumed shapes. Here the great god Jupiter
"was changed into a Ram
From whence the horns of Libyan Ammon came."
and the fun loving Pan into a sea-goat, now the constellation
Capricornus, while the goddess Venus and her son Cupid threw themselves
into the river and were changed into two fishes, which are now
represented by Pisces, in the sky. The fate of Typhon has already been
mentioned, and even modern Sicilians have seen Etna burst its crown to
let out his fiery breath.
Just below Andromeda and above the head of Cetus is a long slim
triangle-shaped figure called Triangulum, the Triangle, and a crooked
line formed by a large star and two smaller ones called Aries, the Ram.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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