April

The Great Bear, Ursa Major, is now nearing the point overhead, the Pointers, aiming almost directly downward toward the Pole Star. Cepheus lies north, low down; Cassiopeia on his left. Perseus is nearing the horizon, the Charioteer, Auriga, on his left, but higher. Setting toward the west we see the Bull, Taurus, with the Pleiades and the ruddy Aldebaran. Orion is almost prone in his descent toward his western grave. The Twins, Gemini, are due west, in the mid-heavens; the Little Dog, Canis Minor, beside them on their left; the Crab, Cancer, above; the Greater Dog, Canis Major below, chasing the Hare, Lepus, below the horizon. Just behind the Dog the poop of the Great Ship, Argo, is also setting. The Sea Serpent, Hydra, now shows his full length, rearing his head high in the south. Observe the darkness of the region around his heart. Alfard, the Solitary One. The Cup, Crater, and Crow, Corvus, stand on his back. The Sickle in the Lion, Leo, now stands with handle upright, due south. Below the tail stars of the Lion we see the Virgin, Virgo. The Herdsman, Bootes, still on his back pursues in that striking and effective position the Great Bear. Below the shoulder stars of the Herdsman we see the Crown, Corona Borealis, near which, on the right, low down and due east, the head of the Serpent, Serpens, is rising.

May

The Great Bear, Ursa Major, is now at its highest and nearly overhead, the Pointers aiming downward from high up, slightly west of due north. Below the Little Bear we find Cepheus low down to the east of north, and Cassiopeia low down to the west of north. Perseus, the Rescuer, is setting in the northwest. The Charioteer, Auriga, with the bright Capella, is nearing the northwestern horizon, followed by the Twins, Gemini, in the west. Further west and higher we find the Crab, Cancer, below which is the Little Dog, Canis Minor. The southwestern sky is very barren of bright stars, Alfard, the heart of the Sea Serpent, Hydra, shining alone in a great blank space. Above the Sea Serpent's head we see the Sickle in the Lion, Leo, himself stretching his tail to due south, very high up. In the south, lower down, we find the Crow, Corvus, and the Cup, Crater, on the Serpent's back; the Virgin, Virgo, extending in the mid-heavens from southeast to south, between the Lion's tail and the Crow. In the same direction, but low down, we find the head and body of the Centaur, Centaurus, supposed to have typified the patriarchal Noah. In the southeast the Scorpion is just beginning to appear, and between the head of Scorpio and the Virgin's robes we see the stars of the Scales, Libra. Due east, low down, is the Serpent Bearer, Ophiuchus, on his back - 'tis the customary attitude of heavenly bodies when rising. The Serpent, Serpens, held by him is seen curving upward toward the Crown, Corona Borealis. The Serpent's head is due west, and above it we see the bright Arcturus, chief brilliant of the Herdsman, Bootes. In the northeast is Hercules, his head close to the head of the Serpent Bearer. Beneath his feet is the Lyre, Lyra, with the brilliant Vega; and the Swan, Cygnus, has already half risen above the northeastern horizon. Lastly, the Dragon, Draco, curves from between the Pointers and the Pole, round the Guardians, toward Cepheus, and then retorts its head-with gleaming eyes, β and γ, toward the heel of Hercules.

June

The Great Bear, Ursa Major, occupies all the upper sky from west to north, except a small space occupied by the Hunting Dogs, Canes Venatici. Due south, low down, lies Cassiopeia, while above, somewhat toward the east, we find the inconspicuous constellation Cepheus. Low down in the northwest lie the Charioteer, Auriga, and the head stars of the Twins, Gemini, farther west. The Crab, Cancer, is nearly due west, the Sea Serpent, Hydra, holding his head almost exactly to the west point. Above is the Sickle in the Lion, its blade curved downward, and the tail of the Lion, Leo, lies above, toward the south of west. On the Serpent's back we find the Cup, Crater, and the Crow, Corvus, in the southwest and to the south of southwest respectively. Above these constellations the Virgin, Virgo, occupies the midheavens. Above the Virgin we see the Herdsman, Bootes, his head and shoulders nearly overhead. Low down in the south is the Centaur, Centaurus, bearing on his spear the Wolf, Lupus, as an offering for the Altar, Ara, which, however, is invisible in these latitudes. Above the Wolf we see the Scales, Libra, while the Scorpion, Scorpio, one of the few constellations which can at once be recognized by its shape, is rising balefully in the southeast. Te Serpent Bearer, Ophiuchus, bears the Serpent, Serpens, in the midheavens toward the southeast, the Crown, Corona Borealis, being high up in the east, close by the Serpent's head. Low down in the east is the Eagle, Aquila, with the fine steel blue star Altair, the Swan on the left about northeast, and above it the Lyre, Lyra, with the still more brilliant steel blue star Vega. Hercules occupies the space between the Lyre on the one side and the Crown and the Serpent's head on the other. He is high up, due east.

July

The Great Bear, Ursa Major, is in the midheavens toward the northwest, the Pointers not far from the horizontal position. The Dragon, Draco, curls over the Little Bear, curving upward on the east, to where its head, high up in the northeast, is marked by the gleaming eyes, β and γ. Low down in the West the Lion, Leo, is setting. The point of the "Sickle in the Lion" is turned to the horizon; the handle is nearly horizontal. The Crow, Corvus, is low down in the southwest, the Cup, Crater, beside it, partly set, on the right. Above is Virgo, the Virgin. Still higher in the southwest - in fact, with head close to the point overhead - is the Herdsman, Bootes, the Crown, Corona Borealis, near his southern shoulder marking what was once the Herdsman's uplifted arm. Low down between the south and southwest we find the head and shoulders of the Centaur, Centaurus, who holds the Wolf, Lupus, due south. In the midsky, toward the southeast, we find the Serpent Holder, Ophiuchus. Below the Serpent Holder we find the Scorpion, Scorpio, now fully risen, and showing truly scorpionic form. Beside the Scorpion is the Archer, Sagittarius, low down in the southeast. Above, near the point overhead, is the kneeling Hercules. Due east, we see part of the Winged Horse, Pegasus: above that, the little Dolphin, Delphinus: and higher, the Swan, Cygnus, and the Lyre, Lyra, with the beautiful bluish-white star Vega. Lastly, low down, between north and northeast, we find the Seated Lady, Cassiopeia: and above, somewhat eastwardly, the inconspicuous constellation Cepheus, Cassiopeia's royal husband.