BOOTES. BOOTES. Boötes is one of the principal constellations of the summer evening sky. It is bounded on the east by Corona Borealis and Serpens, on the south by Virgo, on the west by Canes Venatici and Coma Berenices, and on the north by Draco. In the ancient catalogue of Ptolemy, twenty-three stars were included as belonging to this constellation; in the Historia Celestis of Flamsteed, observations of fifty-four have been recorded; while, in the more modern celestial atlas of Bode, three hundred and nineteen are inserted. Arcturus, one of the most brilliant stars in the northern hemisphere, is situated between the legs of Boötes. In ancient times it was a noted star among mariners, who, however, looked upon its influences with suspicion. The squally weather which generally preceded the autumnal season was ascribed by the Greeks to the power of Arcturus. It is related by Demosthenes "that a sum of money was lent at Athens on a vessel going to the Crimea and back, at the rate of 221 per cent., with the understanding that unless the ship returned before the rising of Arcturus, 30 per cent. was to be paid." Arcturus was the first star observed with a telescope in daylight. This feat was announced in 1635 by a M. Morin. It appears, however, that little notice was taken of the occurrence till the year 1669, when the Abbé Picard published the results of an observation of Arcturus, made when the Sun was seventeen degrees above the horizon. This discovery created a sensation among astronomers, who were gleaning at this time quite a harvest among the stars by the use of the telescope, lately invented. Owing, however, to the small object-glasses of the first telescopes, which were only toys compared with the magnificent reflectors and refractors of modern days, the astronomer of the seventeenth century was unable to see more than the principal celestial objects. Several important discoveries were, however, made in that century, among which may be mentioned the four satellites of Jupiter and five of those of Saturn, together with the ring of the last-named planet. We have still preserved, on the walls of the Royal Observatory, the transit instrument used by Dr. Halley at that place, with an object-glass no larger than that of many modern ship spy-glasses. If we compare Dr. Halley's small object-glass with one lately constructed for Mr. Newall by Messrs. Cooke, with a clear aperture of twenty-five inches, or with the six-foot speculum in the reflecting telescope of the Earl of Rosse, we shall not be surprised that the astronomers of the seventeenth century appeared somewhat elated at having seen a star in broad daylight. This is now no uncommon occurrence. In the winter days, the author has frequently observed at noon-day, not only such bright stars as Arcturus, Vega, and others, but occasionally some as small as the fourth and fifth magnitude; and on one occasion, when the atmosphere was more than usually pure, a star of the sixth magnitude was observed within two hours of noon. In short, from the beginning of November to the end of February, many of the fourth magnitude are observed on the meridian of Greenwich with the transit-circle at the Royal Observatory. Boötes is figured generally as a robust man holding in one hand a club, spear, pastoral staff, or sickle; for at various epochs he has been represented with each of these symbols. The other hand is upraised towards Canes Venatici. When Hevelius introduced the Greyhounds in his Uranographia, published in 1690, they were attached to Boötes and placed near the hind legs of the Great Bear. Boötes has therefore been called the Bearkeeper, and also the driver of the waggon composed of the seven chief stars in Ursa Major. Arcturus was for some time supposed to be the nearest fixed star to the earth; but there have been many others now found to be much nearer. There is, however, no doubt that it is less distant from us than the great bulk of the stars. Epsilon Boötis, sometimes called Izar, is a double star, interesting for the distinct and contrasting colours of its components; the principal one being of the third magnitude and of a pale orange colour, while the companion is of the seventh magnitude, and of a sea-green colour. This star has been frequently seen double in the daylight, within two hours of noon, although the companion is so small. It is not known at present whether the two stars form a binary system; if so, its period of revolution must extend over not less than a thousand years. Xi Boötis is another interesting object of this class, the principal star being of the third and a half magnitude, and of an orange colour, and the secondary about the sixth or seventh magnitude, and of a purple tint. The contrast between the colours is very brilliant. The following diagram exhibits a selected list of double stars, as seen in an inverting astronomical telescope. Some of them are, probably, only optically double, their apparent juxtaposition being the result of the two stars being seen from the surface of the earth in the same line of direction, or, if they be binary systems, their time of revolution must extend over a lengthened period. Castor, Epsilon Hydra, Gamma Leonis, and 61 Cygni, have been proved to belong to the latter class of objects. Gamma Andromeda is triple, the companion being resolvable into two components when viewed through a good defining telescope, especially when the star is at a high altitude about sunrise or sunset. The list of known binaries exceeds a hundred, without including several double stars suspected to belong to a common gravitational system. CAMELOPARDALIS.-CANES VENATICI. CAMELOPARDALIS. Camelopardalis is a modern constellation introduced into the heavens by Hevelius in the seventeenth century. It occupies a very considerable space in the sky north of the zenith, between Auriga and Ursa Minor, and contains a large number of small stars, only four of which are equal to the fourth magnitude. Camelopardalis has Ursa Major and Lynx on the east, Perseus and Auriga on the south, Perseus and Cassiopeia on the west, and Cepheus, Draco, and Ursa Minor on the north. This constellation, combined with Lynx, gives a very bare appearance to a large portion of the circumpolar sky between Polaris and Auriga and Gemini. CANES VENATICI. Canes Venatici, or the greyhounds Chara and Asterion, form a small constellation of comparatively recent origin, having been introduced into the heavens by Hevelius, in the seventeenth century. It is situated north of Coma Berenices, and occupies an empty space between Boötes and the hind legs of Ursa Major. Excepting its principal star Cor Caroli (Charles's heart), there is no object worthy of special notice in this constellation. In most celestial atlases or globes, Cor Caroli is placed in the centre of a heart attached to a crown on the shoulders of Chara. It is a beautiful double star, the larger component being white, and the smaller a pale lilac colour. The following anecdote of the origin of the name of the star is given by Admiral Smyth: "But it came to pass that it was named Cor Caroli by Halley, at the suggestion of Sir C. Scarborough. The popular story, or rather the vulgar one, runs-how Scarborough, the court physician, gazed upon a star the very evening before the return of King Charles II. to London, the which, as in duty bound, appeared more visible and refulgent than heretofore; so the said star, which Hevelius had already made the lucida of Chara's collar, was thereupon extra-constellated within a sort of valentine figure of a heart, with a royal crown upon it; and so the monarch, it would seem by this extraction, remained heartless." Cor Caroli can be readily identified: a line drawn from Polaris through the first star in the tail of Ursa Major will lead directly to it. If we take advantage of the rhymester, we shall obtain other directions for finding not only Cor Caroli, but also the important group of Corona Borealis. "When clear aloft, Boötes seek, His brilliance leads the gaze, Arcturus east to Vega join, He marks Cor Caroli." Cor Caroli also forms an equilateral triangle with Gamma Ursa Majoris and Alkaid in the hip and tail of the Great Bear. CASSIOPEIA. The name of Cassiopeia has been derived from the wife of Cepheus, and the mother of Andromeda. This constellation is one of the most attractive groups of stars visible in the sky of the northern hemisphere, and contains several stars of the second and third magnitudes. It is always in direct opposition to Ursa Major, with respect to the Pole. For example, if Cassiopeia be at its greatest elevation, Ursa Major is near the horizon in the north, and vice versa. If the Great Bear be in the east, Cassiopeia is in the west, and so on throughout their diurnal revolution. It is not difficult, therefore, to find Cassiopeia; for a line drawn from the middle of Charles's Wain, through Polaris, passes across the centre of the group. Cassiopeia is bounded by Cepheus, Perseus, Andromeda, and Camelopardalis, and when passing the meridian above the Pole, it is directly overhead in all parts of the British Isles. The principal stars bear some resemblance to the letter Y with the vertical stem a little bent; or, by viewing it from another direction, to a badly-formed W; they have, however, frequently been called Cassiopeia's, or the lady's, chair, imagination having transformed these five or six stars into the form of an antique seat. Cassiopeia is celebrated as being the spot where a very remarkable temporary star appeared in November, 1572. It suddenly burst forth with a brilliancy greater than any star around it, and was therefore noticed by several persons about the same time. Tycho Brahé was one of these fortunate observers. From his own account, we gather that he was returning from his laboratory, on the evening of November 11th, when he saw a group of peasants gazing at a brilliant object, which he knew had not existed in that shape an hour previously. It was at first supposed to be a comet, though it had no distinctive marks of being one, but twinkled like any ordinary fixed star. It increased rapidly in magnitude, till it surpassed Sirius and Jupiter in lustre, and was even observed at noonday. This great brilliancy, however, continued only for a short time, when it gradually diminished. In March, 1574, it became invisible to the naked eye, and has not been observed since. A severe scrutiny of the neighbourhood in which this wonderful star CASSIOPEIA.-CEPHEUS.-COMA BERENICES. appeared has been made since the construction of the powerful astronomical instruments of modern days, but no trace of it can be found. La Place, the celebrated French mathematician and astronomer, was led to believe that the frequent change of colour which was observed in this star, first white, then yellow, afterwards reddish, and finally a bluish tint, showed that the sudden blazing forth was probably caused by the action of fire. This hypothesis was not, however, generally believed at the time. But since the sudden outburst of the star in Corona Borealis, which is noticed in our description of that constellation, many astronomers of the present day are inclined to believe that La Place's suggestion is not so improbable as it first appeared. CEPHEUS. According to the ancients, the constellation Cepheus was placed in the heavens in memory of a king of Ethiopia, or India, husband of Cassiopeia, and father of Andromeda. The old Ethiopic name of this asterism was Hyk, a king. Cepheus is bounded on the north by Ursa Minor and Camelopardalis, on the west by Draco, on the east by Cassiopeia, and on the south by Lacerta and Cygnus. The stars Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Cephei, form an arc, of which Beta Cassiopeia is nearly the centre. The head of Cepheus is situated in the Milky Way, and can be identified in the August diagram, looking north, near the zenith, by three stars of the fourth magnitude forming a small triangle. The chief objects in Cepheus are Alderamin in the right shoulder, Beta, or Alphirk, in the waist, and Gamma, according to Ptolemy, in the left foot. Cepheus was one of the old forty-eight asterisms, and of considerable note among the wandering shepherds of Arabia. It contains several choice and remarkable double stars, nebula, and clusters, which have afforded ample subjects for the scrutinizing eyes of modern astronomers. The position of Cepheus and its principal stars can be clearly recognised between Polaris and the zenith, having the bright group of Cassiopeia on the east, and the chief stars of Draco on the west. We can almost imagine the exact form of this circumpolar constellation from the following lines: "Near to his wife and daughter, see aloft where Cepheus shines. The wife, the Little Bear, and Swan, with Draco bound his lines; COMA BERENICES. This small constellation contains about forty stars visible without the aid of a telescope, several of which are of the fourth and fifth magnitudes. It is situated south of Canes Venatici, west of Boötes, north of Leo and Virgo, and east of Leo and Ursa Major. Its |