The constellation Leo Minor, now due east and about midway between the horizon and the zenith, is well worth sweeping over. It contains several fine fields.
Let us next turn to the western heavens. Here there are some noteworthy objects.
To begin with, there are the Pleiades, showing to the naked eye only six or seven stars. In the telescope the Pleiades appear as shown in Plate [3].
The Hyades also show some fine fields with low powers.
Aldebaran, the principal star of the Hyades, as also of the constellation Taurus, is a noted red star. It is chiefly remarkable for the close spectroscopic analysis to which it has been subjected by Messrs. Huggins and Miller. Unlike Betelgeuse, the spectrum of Aldebaran exhibits the lines corresponding to hydrogen, and no less than eight metals—sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, bismuth, tellurium, antimony, and mercury, are proved to exist in the constitution of this brilliant red star.
On the right of Aldebaran, in the position indicated in Plate [1], Map I., are the stars ζ and β Tauri. If with a low power the observer sweep from ζ towards β, he will soon find—not far from ζ (at a distance of about one-sixth of the distance separating β from ζ), the celebrated Crab nebula, known as 1 M. This was the first nebula discovered by Messier, and its discovery led to the formation of his catalogue of 103 nebulæ. In a small telescope this object appears as a nebulous light of oval form, no traces being seen of the wisps and sprays of light presented in Lord Rosse's well known picture of the nebula.
Here I shall conclude the labours of our first half-hour among the stars, noticing that the examination of Plate [1] will show what other constellations besides those here considered are well situated for observation at this season. It will be remarked that many constellations well seen in the third half-hour (Chapter [IV.]) are favourably seen in the first also, and vice versâ. For instance, the constellation Ursa Major well-placed towards the north-east in the first quarter of the year, is equally well-placed towards the north-west in the third, and similarly of the constellation Cassiopeia. The same relation connects the second and fourth quarters of the year.
