w what time it was. He had no watch and didn't want to
disturb any one. So he looked out of the window and saw by the star
Procyon that it was eleven o'clock.

That sounds mysterious, but it is easy if you have a planisphere like
ours. Last winter when we were all enjoying Orion, the Bull, and the two
Dogs, I used to whirl the planisphere around to see where they would be
at six o'clock at night, at eight, at ten, at midnight, and even at six
o'clock in the morning. And so, if I waked up in the night I could tell
what time it was without even turning my head. Sometimes I looked out of
my window, saw Orion nearly overhead and knew it must be midnight. And
sometimes I woke up just before daybreak and saw the great Bull backing
down out of sight in the west, the mighty Hunter still brandishing his
club, and his faithful Dogs following at his heels.

SEVEN FAMOUS CONSTELLATIONS

There are only seven more constellations that seem to me interesting
enough for every one to know and love all his life. These are:

The Lion (Spring)

The Twins (Spring)

The Virgin (Summer)

The Herdsman (Summer)

The Northern Crown (Summer)

The Scorpion (Summer)

Southern Fish (Autumn)

I have named the seasons when, according to some people, these
constellations are most enjoyable. But these are not the only times when
you can see them. (If you had that seventy-five-cent planisphere, now,
you could always tell which constellations are visible and just where to
find them.) No matter what time of year you read this chapter, it is
worth while to go out and look for these marvels. You can't possibly
miss them all.

Have you ever seen a Sickle in the sky? It's a beauty, and whenever I
have seen it it has been turned very conveniently for me, because I am
left-handed. It is so easy to find that I am almost ashamed to tell. But
if you need help, draw a line through the Pointers backward, away from
the Pole star, about forty degrees, and it will come a little west of
the Sickle. The Sickle is only part of the Lion--the head and the
forequarters. Only fanciful map-makers can trace the rest of the Lion.
The bright star at the end of the handle is Regulus, which means "king,"
from the stupid old notion that this star ruled the lives of men. To
this day people speak of the "Royal Star," meaning Regulus. And at the
end of this chapter I will tell you about three other stars which the
Persians called "royal stars."

An