IN STARRY SKIES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 65, 19 March 1925, Page 15

IN STARRY SKIES

THE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE HEAVENS.

(By "Omega Centauri.")

•»The fact is full of promise for the future of astronomy that .so many excellent books, written specially for the benefit of children, are now published !about the wonders of the heavens. If the young people become interested in the greatest of the sciences the prevalent ignorance of the vast universe which' lies beyond the limits of terrestrial experiences will quickly be dispelled. We are indebted to lady writers for several of the most important' of the children's books on astronomy. Amongst the older volumes of this class we may mention "Among the Stars, or Wonderful Things in the Sky; Astronomy for Children," by Agnes Giberne, and "The Children's Book of Stars," by G. E. Mitton. The excellent astronomical articles in "The Children's Encyclopaedia," the "Children's Magazine," and "My Magazine" probably reached a much wider circle. During last year two specially noteworthy additions were made to the children's astronomical library. '.'Astronomy for Young Folks," by Isabel M. Lewis, is published by'Huchinsoj and Co., and is truthfully described as "o splendid new book at a remarkably low price." The other one is the subject' of this note. "The Children's Book of the Heavens," by ( Mary Proctor, F.R.A.S., F.R.Met.S., is published by George G. Harrap and Co. It is a beautiful 'book, most handsomely got up, well printed in large type, and generously illustrated with pictures, diagrams, and reproductions of photographs. The book is dedicated to three boys, one,in England, one in U.S.A., and one in New Zealand. The front cover bears a handsome design in rich colours embodying an armillary sphere supported by gargoyles. The inside of the covers and the flyleaves are utilised in a pretty way. They contain beautifully clear diagrams of the stars visible in spring, summer, autumn,'and winter respectively. The frontispiece in colour shows the earth as seen from the moon's apennines. One detail in .this picture is open to criticism, as some of the mountains in the foreground are modelled o"h terrestrial volcanoes instead of on the typical'lunar forms. The book starts with the story of the sun, in which mythology- and fact are pleasantly mingled without any danger of confusion. -One experience on the imaginary journey to the sun is hard to account'for, viz., that described on page 20, where the authoress says: "First of all we must have our torchlights ready, as after plunging through the blanket of air surrounding our planet we shall find it darker than the blackest night." The rest of .the happenings accord with present-day.knowledge, and it is delight-' ful to notice the way in which the difficulties and impossibilities of the journey are got over by a powerful and willing imagination. Two chapters are devoted to the moon, one giving its story, the other legends connected with it. One theory of its origin is spoken of rather as if it were r established, fact.

Throughout the book poetical quotations are made free use of. j\iany "consist of well known lines, but others are little, known, and very appropriate. In many almanacs the Sun, Moon, and Planets: are indicated by a curious set pf ; signs, which most' people take to be arbitrary 'symbols., Hiss, Proctor explains the meaning of the most obscure of these..,. Thus we sign for Venus, a little cross below it, represents a mirror with a handle,\almost appropriate symbol for the' Goddess of Beauty. The"circle with an arrow point leading up from'it, which stand for Mars, are pictorial shortland for the shield arid speak of-the God of War. The sign for Jupiter, which looks like a cross between a 2 and a 4 represents the bird of Jove. The fan-, tistic hj which stands for Saturn, depicts an old-fashioned scythe, since Saturn was confused w\th Kronos, the God of/Time, who brings all things to an end.; The sign for Uranus is a capita Hi the initial of Herschel, the discoverer of the planet, with a disc to.indicate the planet itself suspended from the crossbar of the letter. The trident of Neptune ia easily understood. The Sun is represented by a circle, with a dot in the- centre, possibly to" indicate that the Sun is the centre and ruler of the system. A crescent stands for the Moon, and a circle with an equator and a meridian for the Earth. The symbol for Mercury is not explained, it is the same as that for Venus, with a crescent added on top. Miss Proctor explains how the names of the ,days of the week are derived from those of the Sun, Moon ; Mars,. Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn (Uranus and Neptune being then unknown,' lost all chance of securing a'day), but she does not explain how they came to be placed in such a stranje order. This is explained by Prof. H. H. Turner in "A Voyage in Space." The ancients did not know the distances of the heavenly bodies, so they arranged them in order of speed. Saturn moved the slowest, then Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. This does not yet appear to give any clue to the order given above. To see how the one order. can be derived from the other, draw a circle and divide the circumference into seven equal parts. At the points of division place the names of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon. Starting at Saturn, drawn a line to the Sun, three places ahead from there to the *Moon, three places ahead of it, and so on, until you have completed a seven-pointed star. You will then have got the order actually adopted for the days of th&'-week. But how was this arrived at in the first instance. Professor Turner, makes this clear. The old astrologers assigned each planet influence for one hour before he handed over the responsibility to the next in order. Old slow-movinE; Saturn took the first hour of the day, then Jupiter took .the next, •, and was followed by Mars. When each of the seven had taken three turns, there were, still three hours of the day left. What could be done? Evidently Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars •must each take another hour. The Sun then takes first watch on the succeeding day. If the guardian of the first hour-is to give, his name to the day, it is clear that Sunday must follow Saturday, and so on through the week. We can only indicate briefly the contents of the book. An interesting chapter is given to each of liie planets, and one to the asteroids. Many of the most striking events in the history of astronomical discovery are graphically told. Several of the incidents and details are little known. Few, for instance, know of the influence of a cup of tea or the result of the great international race for the discovery of Neptune. Chapters on Comets and on Meteorites and shooting stars, complete the description of the solar system. A vivid account of the Sun's journey through space brings us to the stars. Many of the chief constellations are' illustrated and described, and, although most of the readers of the book \ live • in the Northern Hemisphere, the South, is not neglected. There are two illustrations of the Southern Cross, one being an excellent photograph taken at Johannesburg. The constellations lead naturally to the Galaxy and the Spiral Nebulae" Miss Proctor devotes her second last chapter to "Leirends of the Silver River of Heaven." Illustrating these there ia ' picture of Frigga, the wife

of All-Father Odin, spinning the clouds, and a photograph of the more wonderful reality showing the great rift in the Milky Way near Ophiuchus. The book concludes with an account of Mount Wilson Observatory, and (the wonderful work that is being done with the great American reflectors armed with -spectroscope and interferometer.