magnitude, in the head of the Scorpion, called Graffias. It is but one degree north of the earth's orbit. It may be recognized by means of a small star, situated about a degree northeast of it, and also by its forming a slight curve with two other stars of the 3d magnitude, situated below it, each about 3° apart. The broad part of the constellation near Graffias, is powdered with numerous small stars, converging down to a point at Antares, and resembling in figure a boy's kite. 201. As you proceed from Antares, there are ten conspicuous stars, chiefly of the 3d magnitude, which mark the tail of the kite, extending down, first in a south-southeasterly direction about 17°, thence easterly about 8° further, when they turn, and advance about 8° toward the north, forming a curve like a shepherd's crook, or the bottom part of the letter S. This crooked line of stars, forming the tail of the Scorpion, is very conspicuous, and may be easily traced. The first star below Antares, which is the last in the back, is of only the 4th magnitude. It is about 2° southeast of Antares, and is denoted by the Greek name of T. Epsilon, of the 8d magnitude, is the second star from Antares, and the first in the It is situated about 7° below the star T, but inclining a little to the east. Mu, of the 3d magnitude, is the 3d star from Antares. It is situated 4% below Epsilon. It may otherwise be known by means of a small star close by it, on the left. tail Zeta, of about the same magnitude, and situated about as far below Mu, is the fourth star from Antares. Here the line turns suddenly to the east. Eta, also of the 8d magnitude, is the fifth star from Antares, and about 8% east of Zeta. Theta, of the same magnitude, is the sixth star from Antares, and about 4° east of Eta. Here, the line turns again, curving to the north, and terminates in a couple of stars. Iota is the seventh star from Antares, 3 above Theta, curving a little to the left, It is a star of the 3d magnitude, and may be known by means of a small star, almost touching it, on the east. Kappa, a star of equal brightness, is less than 2° above Iota, and a little to the right. Lesuth, of the 3d magnitude, is the brightest of the two last, in the tail, and is situated about 3° above Kappa, still further to the right. It may readily be known by means of a smaller star, close by it, on the west. 202. This is a very beautiful-group of stars, and easily traced out in the heavens. It furnishes striking evidence of the facility with which most of the constellations may be so accurately delineated, as to preclude everything like uncertainty in the knowledge of their relative situation. "The heart with luster of amazing force, Refulgent vibrates; faint the other parts, HISTORY. This sign was anciently represented by various symbols, sometimes by a snake, and sometimes by a crocodile; but most commonly by the scorpion. This last symbol is star described? Size and position? How recognized? What said of the broad part or body of Scorpio? 201. What stars form the tail of Scorpio? Are they conspicuous ? Name and describe in detail? 202. General remarks respecting this constellation? HISTORY.-How was Scorpio anciently delineated? How regarded by ancient astrolo found on the Mithraic monuments, which is pretty good evidence that these monuments were constructed when the vernal equinox accorded with Taurus. On both the zodiacs of Dendera, there are rude delineations of this animal; that on the portico differs considerably from that on the other zodiac, now in the Louvre. Scorpio was considered by the ancient astrologers as a sign accursed. The Egyptians fixed the entrance of the sun into Scorpio as the commencement of the reign of Typhon, when the Greeks fabled the death of Orion. When the sun was in Scorpio, in the month of Athyr, as Plutarch informs us, the Egyptians inclosed the body of their god Osiris in an ark, or chest, and during this ceremony a great annual festival was celebrated. Three days after the priests had inclosed Osiris in the ark, they pretended to have found him again. The death of Osiris, then, was lamented when the sun in Scorpio descended to the lower hemisphere, and when he arose at the vernal equinox, then Osiris was said to be born anew. The Egyptians or Chaldeans, who first arranged the Zodiac, might have placed Scorpio in this part of the heavens to denote that when the sun enters this sign, the diseases incident to the fruit season would prevail; since Autumn, which abounded in fruit, often brought with it a great variety of diseases, and might be thus fitly represented by that venomous animal, the scorpion, who, as he recedes, wounds with a sting in his tail. Mars was the tutelary deity of the Scorpion, and to this circumstance is owing all that argon of the astrologers, who say that there is a great analogy between the malign influence of the planet Mars and this sign. To this also is owing the doctrine of the alchemists, that iron, which metal they call Mars, is under the dominion of Scorpio; so that the transmutation of it into gold can be effected only when the sun is in this sign. The constellation of the Scorpion is very ancient. Ovid thus mentions it in his beautiful fable of Phaeton : "There is a place above, where Scorpio bent, According to Ovid, this is the famous scorpion which sprang out of the earth at the command of Juno, and stung Orion; of which wound he died. It was in this way the imperious goddess chose to punish the vanity of the hero and the hunter, for boasting that there was not on earth any animal which he could not conquer. "Words that provoked the gods once from him fell, 'No beasts so fierce,' said he, 'but I can quell;' When lo! the earth a baleful scorpion sent, To kill Latona was the dire intent; Orion saved her, though himself was slain, But did for that a spacious place obtain In heaven: 'to thee my life,' said she, 'was dear, Although both Orion and Scorpio were honored by the celestials with a place among the stars, yet their situations were so ordered that when one rose the other should set, and vice versa; so that they never appear in the same hemisphere at the same time. In the Hebrew zodiac this sign is allotted to Dan, because it is written, "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path." TELESCOPIC OBJECTS. 1. a SCORPII (Antares)—A bright star with a companion in the heart of Scorpio; R. A 16h. 19m. 86s.; Dec. S. 26° 04' 8". A 1, fiery red; B 8, pale. Very close. 2. B SCORPII (Graffias)—A star with a companion in the head; R. A. 15h. 56m. 08s.; Dec. S. 19° 21' 7". A 2, pale white; B 5, lilac tinge. 8. v SCORPII-A neat DOUBLE STAR, east by north from ẞ about 2°; R. A. 16h. 02m. 42s. ; Dec. S. 19° 02' 8". A 4, bright white; B pale lilac. Professor Mitchell registers this as a triple star. 4. σ SCORPII-A delicate DOUBLE STAR in the body of the figure; R. A. 16h. 11m. 28s.; gers? Egyptian myth respecting Typhon, &c.? Supposed reason why Scorpio was placed where it is? Why do astrologers connect Mars with Scorpio? The Alchemists? What poetic proof of the antiquity of Scorpio? Ovid's myth respecting? Relative position of Orion and Scorpio? Place of Scorpio in the Hebrew Zodiac, and why? TELESCOPIC OBJECTS.-Alpha? Beta? Nu? Sigma? What cluster? Point out on the map. What Nebula? Dec. 8. 26° 12′ 2′′. About 2 west by north of Antares., A 4, creamy white; B 9% lilac tint. 5. A COMPRESSED GLOBULAR CLUSTER in the right foot of Ophiuchus, or the Scorpion's back; R. A. 16h. 07m. 28s.; Dec. S. 22° 35′ 4′′. Half way between a and ẞ Scorpii, or 4* east of d. A fine bright object, in an open space, with a few telescopic stars in the field. Pronounced by Herschel "the richest and most condensed mass of stars which the firmament can offer to the contemplation of astronomers." Map IX., Fig. 52. 6. A compressed mass of very small stars, in the middle of the body, with outlayers, and a few stellar companions in the field; R. A. 16h. 18m. 51s.; Dec. S. 26° 07′ 5′′. It is 1° west of Antares. Elongated and bright in the center. 7. A fine large RESOLVABLE NEBULA at the root of the tail, about 7° southeast from Antares; R. A. 16h. 51m. 04s.; Dec. S. 29° 50′ 6". A mass of small stars running up to a blaze in the center-has been mistaken for a comet. HERCULES.-MAP V. 203. Hercules is represented on the map invested with the skin of the Nemean Lion, holding a massy club in his right hand, and the three-headed dog Cerberus in his left. He occupies a large space in the northern hemisphere, with one foot resting on the head of Draco, on the north, and his head nearly touching that of Ophiuchus, on the south. This constellation extends from 12° to 50° north declination, and its mean right ascension is 255°; consequently its centre is on the meridian about the 21st of July. 204. Hercules is bounded by Draco on the north, Lyra on the east, Ophiuchus or the Serpent-Bearer on the south, and the Serpent and the Crown on the west. It contains one hundred and thirteen stars, including one of the 2d, or of between the 2d and 3d magnitudes, nine of the 3d magnitude, and nineteen of the 4th. The principal star is Ras Algethi, and is situated in the head, about 25° southeast of Corona Borealis. It may be readily known by means of another bright star of equal magnitude, 5° east-southeast of it, called Ras Alhague. Ras Alhague marks the head of Ophiuchus, and Ras Algethi that of Hercules. These two stars are always seen together like the bright pairs in Aries, Gemini, the Little Dog, &c. They come to our meridian about the 28th of July, near where the sun does the last of April, or the middle of August. About midway between Ras Algethi on the southeast, and Ariadne's Crown on the northwest, may be seen Beta and Gamma, two stars of the 3d magnitude, situated in the west shoulder, about 3° apart. The northernmost of these two is called Rutilicus. Those four stars in the shape of a diamond, 8° or 10° southwest of the two in the shoulder of Hercules, are situated in the head of the Serpent. 203. Describe Hercules? His magnitude and position? When on the meridian? 204. How bounded? Number of stars? Their size? Principal star, and how known? What said of Ras Alhague, and Ras Algethi? Of Beta and Gamma? 205. About 12° E. N. E. of Rutilicus, and 104° directly north 01 Ras Algethi, are two stars of the 4th magnitude, in the east shoulder. They may be known by two very minute stars a little above them on the left. The two stars in each shoulder of Hercules, with Ras Algethi in the head, form a regular triangle. The left, or east arm of Hercules, which grasps the triple-headed monster Cerberus, may be traced by means of three or four stars of the 4th magnitude, situated in a row, 8° and 4° apart, extending from the shoulder, in a northeasterly direction. That small cluster, situated in a triangular form, about 14° northeast of Ras Algethi, and 18° eastsoutheast of the left shoulder, distinguish the head of Cerberus. Eighteen or 20° northeast of the Crown, are four stars of the 3d and 4th magnitudes, forming an irregular square, of which the two southern ones are about 4° apart, and in a line 6 or 7° south of the two northern ones, which are nearly 7° apart. Pi, in the northeast corner, may be known by means of one or two other small stars, close by it, on the east. Eta, in the northwest corner, may be known by its being in a row with two smaller stars, extending toward the northwest, and about 4° apart. The stars of the 4th magnitude, just south of the Dragon's head, point out the left foot and ankle of Hercules. Several other stars, of the 3d and 4th magnitudes, may be traced out in this constellation, by reference to the map. HISTORY. This constellation is intended to immortalize the name of Hercules, the Theban, 80 celebrated in antiquity for his heroic valor and invincible prowess. According to the ancients, there were many persons of this name. Of all these, the son of Jupiter and Alcmena is the most celebrated, and to him the actions of the others have been generally attributed. The birth of Hercules was attended with many miraculous events. He was brought up at Tirynthus, or at Thebes, and before he had completed his eighth month, the jealousy of Juno, who was intent upon his destruction, sent two snakes to devour him. Not terrified at the sight of the serpents, he boldly seized them, and squeezed them to death, while his brother Iphicles alarmed the house with his frightful shrieks. He was early instructed in the liberal arts, and soon became the pupil of the centaur Chiron, under whom he rendered himself the most valiant and accomplished of all the heroes of antiquity. In the 18th year of his age, he commenced his arduous and glorious pursuits. He subdued a lion that devoured the flocks of his supposed father, Amphitryon. After he had destroyed the lion, he delivered his country from the annual tribute of a hundred oxen, which it paid to Erginus. As Hercules, by the will of Jupiter, was subjected to the power of Eurystheus, and obliged to obey him in every respect, Eurystheus, jealous of his rising fame and power, ordered him to appear at Mycenae, and perform the labors which, by priority of birth, he was empowered to impose upon him. Hercules refused, but afterwards consulted the oracle of Apollo, and was told that he must be subservient, for twelve years, to the will of Eurystheus, in compliance with the commands of Jupiter; and that, after he had achieved the most celebrated labors, he should be reckoned in the number of the gods. So plain an answer determined him to go to Mycenæ, and to bear with fortitude whatever gods or men should impose upon him. Eurystheus, seeing so great a man totally subjected to him, and apprehensive of so powerful an enemy, commanded him to achieve a number of enterprises the most difficult and arduous ever known, generally called the TWELVE LABORS OF HERCULES. Being furnished with complete armor by the favor of the gods, he boldly encountered the imposed labors. 1. He subdued the Nemean Lion in his den, and invested himself with his skin. 2. He destroyed the Lernæan Hydra, with a hundred hissing heads, and dipped his arrows in the gall of the monster, to render their wounds incurable. 3. He took alive the stag with golden horns and brazen feet, so famous for its incredible swiftness, after pursuing it for twelve months, and presented it, unhurt, to Eurystheus. 4. He took alive, the Erymanthian Boar, and killed the Centaurs who opposed him. 205. What two other stars, and what triangle? How trace the left or east arm of Hercules? What four stars, and forming what? Describe Pi, and how known. Eta? Any other stars? HISTORY.-Design of this constellation? Story of the birth of Hercules? His wonderful 5. He cleansed the stables of Augias, in which 8,000 oxen had been confined for many years. 6. He killed the carnivorous birds which ravaged the country of Arcadia, and fed on human flesh. 7. He took alive, and brought into Peloponnesus, the wild bull of Crete, which no mortal durst look upon. 8. He obtained for Eurystheus the mares of Diomedes, which fed on human flesh after having given their owner to be first eaten by them. 9. He obtained the girdle of the queen of the Amazons, a formidable nation of warlike females. 10. He killed the monster Geryon, king of Gades, and brought away his numerous flocks, which fed upon human flesh. 11. He obtained the golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides, which were watched by a dragon. 12. And finally, he brought up to the earth the three-headed dog Cerberus, the guardian of the entrance to the infernal regions. According to Dupuis, the twelve labors of Hercules are only a figurative representation of the annual course of the sun through the twelve signs of the Zodiac; Hercules being put for the sun, inasmuch as it is the powerful planet which animates and imparts fecundity to the universe, and whose divinity has been honored, in every quarter, by temples and altars, and consecrated in the religious strains of all nations. Thus Virgil, in the eighth book of his Æneid, records the deeds of Hercules, and celebrates his praise : "The lay records the labors, and the praise, And all the immortal acts of Hercules. First, how the mighty babe, when swath'd in bands, The serpents strangled with his infant hands; Then, as in years and matchless force he grew, Besides these arduous labors which the jealousy of Eurystheus imposed upon him, he also achieved others of his own accord, equally celebrated. Before he delivered himself up to the king of Mycenae he accompanied the Argonauts to Colchis. He assisted the gods in their wars against the giants, and it was through him alone that Jupiter obtained the victory. He conquered Laomedon and pillaged Troy. At three different times he experienced fits of insanity. In the second, he slew the brother of his beloved Iole; in the third he attempted to carry away the sacred tripod from Apollo's temple at Delphi, for which the oracle told him he must be sold as a slave. He was sold accordingly to Omphale, queen of Lydia, who restored him to liberty, and married him. After this he returned to Peloponnesus, and re-established on the throne of Sparta his friend Tyndarus, who had been expelled by Hippocoon. He became enamored of Dejanira, whom, after having overcome all his rivals, he married; but was obliged to leave his father-in-law's kingdom, because he had inadvertently killed a man with a blow of his fist. He retired to the court of Ceyx, king of Trachina, and in his way was stopped by the streams of the Evenus, where he slew the Centaur Nessus, for presuming to offer indignity to his beloved Dejanira. The Centaur, on expiring, gave to Dejanira the celebrated tunic which afterward caused the death of Hercules. "This tunic," said the expiring monster, "has the virtue to recall a husband from unlawful love." Dejanira, fearing lest Hercules should relapse again into love for the beautiful Iole, gave him the fatal tunic, which was so infected with the poison of the Lernæan exploits? Origin and character of the twelve labors? What are these labors supposed to represent? What quotation from Virgil? Story of the death of Hercules? Ovid? |