he Pole than Canis Minor is the constellation
of _Canis Major_, or the Greater Dog. It contains the brightest star in
the whole sky, the first magnitude star Sirius, bluish-white in colour,
also known as the "Dog Star." This star is almost in line with the stars
forming the Belt of Orion, and is not far from that constellation.

Taken in the following order, the stars Capella, [b] Aurigae, Castor,
Pollux, Procyon, and Sirius, when they are all above the horizon at the
same time, form a beautiful curve stretching across the heaven.

The groups of stars visible in the southern skies have by no means the
same fascination for us as those in the northern. The ancients were in
general unacquainted with the regions beyond the equator, and so their
scheme of constellations did not include the sky around the South Pole
of the heavens. In modern times, however, this part of the celestial
expanse was also portioned out into constellations for the purpose of
easy reference; but these groupings plainly lack that simplicity of
conception and legendary interest which are so characteristic of the
older ones.

The brightest star in the southern skies is found in the constellation
of _Argo_, and is known as Canopus. In brightness it comes next to
Sirius, and so is second in that respect in the entire heaven. It does
not, however, rise above the English horizon.

Of the other southern constellations, two call for especial notice, and
these adjoin each other. One is _Centaurus_ (or the Centaur), which
contains the two first magnitude stars, [a] and [b] Centauri. The first
of these, Alpha Centauri, comes next in brightness to Canopus, and is
notable as being the nearest of all the stars to our earth. The other
constellation is called _Crux_, and contains five stars set in the form
of a rough cross, known as the "Southern Cross." The brightest of these,
[a] Crucis, is of the first magnitude.

Owing to the Precession of the Equinoxes, which, as we have seen,
gradually shifts the position of the Pole among the stars, certain
constellations used to be visible in ancient times in more northerly
latitudes than at present. For instance, some five thousand years ago
the Southern Cross rose above the English horizon, and was just visible
in the latitude of London. It has, however, long ago even ceased to be
seen in the South of Europe. The constellation of Crux happens to be
situated in that remarkable region of the southern skies, in which are