bout 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 [zeta] and [beta] Tauri. If with a low power the observer
sweep from [zeta] towards [beta], he will soon find--not far from [zeta]
(at a distance of about one-sixth of the distance separating [beta] from
[zeta]), 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 nebulae. 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 versa_. 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.

[Illustration: PLATE III.]

CHAPTER III.

A HALF-HOUR WITH LYRA, HERCULES, CORVUS, CRATER, ETC.

The observations now to be commenced are supposed to take place during
the second quarter of the year,--at ten o'clock on the 20