"The ram," said Uncle Henry, "is very small, and is made of only three
stars. A line drawn from the top corner of _Pegasus'_ box stall, on the
side next the pole, going straight down the side, and extended below it
one and a half times the height of the stall, will point to the ram.
(28) You can also locate _Aries_, the Ram, by drawing a line from the
star in the swan's tail, across the stars in _Andromeda's_ hips, and
beyond them a little more than the distance from her head to her hips.
Don't mistake a little triangle of stars that you will see just below
_Andromeda's_ left leg for the three stars of _Aries_. _Aries_ is a
triangle, also, but it has _two_ fairly bright stars, while the triangle
has only _one_. Do you all see _Aries_, the Ram?"
The children had all found it after a few moments, as well as the
triangle under _Andromeda's_ feet. When Paul had made the chalk dots and
lines for _Aries'_ skeleton, Uncle Henry drew the outline around them
and the ram looked like this. You will see that in order to show _Aries_
right side up, the blackboard had to be turned so that _Andromeda_ was
upside down.
"While we are in the neighborhood of _Pegasus_ and _Andromeda_ and
_Aries_ the Ram we may as well find the two fishes. One of them, called
the _Northern Fish_, lies just about halfway between _Andromeda's_ body
and _Aries_--and the other, called the _Western Fish_, lies just back of
_Pegasus'_ box stall, quite close to the water jar of _Aquarius_. (29)
[Illustration]
"The two fishes are tied together by their tails. The cord or ribbon
runs eastward from the tail of the _Western Fish_, running about
parallel to the side of _Pegasus'_ stall, and then makes a sharp angle,
coming back toward _Andromeda_, where it is fastened to the _Northern
Fish's_ tail."
When _Pisces_, or "The Fishes" were found and drawn with chalk they were
in this relation to _Pegasus_, _Andromeda_, _Aries_, and _Aquarius'_
Jar.
[Illustration]
"While I think of it," said Uncle Henry, "I want to tell you that
sometimes you may find a very bright star in a constellation where it
doesn't seem to belong. If you watch it for a few nights you will see
that it moves. It isn't a star at all, but a _planet_ or "wanderer."
Sometime I'll show you how to know all the planets by sight and name.
You will never see them except in the zodiac constellations, so they
need not confuse you. And now I think all of us had better go downstairs
and get warm before we go to bed. Besides, we want to leave a little to
do to-morrow night, and there are only two constellations left now."
"Only two?" cried the children in disappointment.
"Only two that we can see well," assured Uncle Henry.
"Well," said Peter, "I guess we'd better have the Society adjourn. I
move we adjourn."
"Second the motion," said Paul, with true parliamentary solemnity.
"Carried," murmured Betty, who was beginning to get sleepy in spite of
herself.
THIRD WINTER EVENING
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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