or near, the meridian--i.e., the north and south line through the middle
of the heavens. Make yourself especially familiar with the so-called
zodiacal constellations, which are, in their order, running around the
heavens from west to east: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo,
Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, and Pisces. The
importance of these particular constellations arises from the fact that
it is across them that the tracks of the planets lie, and when you are
familiar with the fixed stars belonging to them you will be able
immediately to recognize a stranger appearing among them, and will
correctly conclude that it is one of the planets.[21] How to tell
which planet it may be, it is the object of this chapter to show you. As
an indispensable aid--unless you happen already to possess a complete
star atlas on a larger scale--I have drawn the six charts of the
zodiacal constellations and their neighbors that are included in this
chapter.

[Footnote 21: In our latitudes, planets are never seen in the northern
quarter of the sky. When on the meridian, they are always somewhere
between the zenith and the southern horizon.]

[Illustration: CHART NO. 1.--FROM RIGHT ASCENSION 0 HOURS TO 4 HOURS;
DECLINATION 30 deg. NORTH TO 10 deg. SOUTH.]

Having learned to recognize the constellations and their chief stars on
sight, one other step, an extremely easy one, remains to be taken before
beginning your search for the planets--buy the American Ephemeris and
Nautical Almanac for the current year. It is published under the
direction of the United States Naval Observatory at Washington, and can
be purchased for one dollar.

This book, which may appear to you rather bulky and formidable for an
almanac, contains hundreds of pages and scores of tables to which you
need pay no attention. They are for navigators and astronomers, and are
much more innocent than they look. The plain citizen, seeking only an
introduction to the planets, can return their stare and pass by,
without feeling in the least humiliated.

[Illustration: CHART NO. 2.--FROM RIGHT ASCENSION 4 HOURS TO 8 HOURS;
DECLINATION 30 deg. NORTH TO 10 deg. SOUTH.]

In the front part of the book, after the long calendar, and the tables
relating to the sun and the moon, will be found about thirty pages of
tables headed, in large black letters, with the names of the
planets--Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, etc. Two months are
represented on e