Lesson CCXXX

Capella and the Heavenly Twins

Leading thought—There are, during the evenings of January and February, three brilliant stars almost directly overhead. One of these is Capella, the other two are the Heavenly Twins.

Method—Place on the board the part of the chart (p. 895) showing the Big Dipper, Pole-star, Capella and the Twins. Draw a line, L, from the pointers of the Big Dipper, and extend it to the Pole-star. Draw another line, K, from the Pole-star at right angles to the line L, and on the side away from the Big Dipper’s handle, and it will pass through a large, brilliant, yellow star which is Capella. Ask the pupils to imagine similar lines drawn across the sky, when they are making their observations and thus find these stars, and to place them on their charts, making the following observations:

1. What color is Capella, and how does its color compare with that of our sun?

2. Is Capella as near to the Pole-star as the Big Dipper? Is it near enough so that it never sets?

3. Can you see the shield-like constellation of which Capella is a part? Do you know the name of this constellation?

4. How do you find the Heavenly Twins after you have found Capella?

5. Why are these stars called the Heavenly Twins? What is their Latin name? What are the names of the two stars? Are these twins set nearer together than the pointers of the Big Dipper?

6. How can you tell the Heavenly Twins from the Little Dog Star and its companion?

7. Read in the books all that you can find about the Heavenly Twins. Try and find if they are the same age, if they are as near together as they seem, and if they are going in the same direction. What did the ancient sailors think of these twin stars?