Page:Star Lore Of All Ages, 1911.pdf/372

270 are spent in the Scorpion, the other sixteen being occupied in its journey through Ophiuchus.

Ophiuchus contains the discarded asterism known as "the Bull of Poniatowski," the Polish Bull. It consists of but four stars, three of the fourth magnitude, and one of the fifth, situated about fifteen minutes east of the star γ Ophiuchi. One of the stars in this group (70) is an interesting binary with a period, of about eighty-eight years. This star is estimated to be 120 quadrillions of miles away. Prey finds that the fainter of the two stars has four times the mass of the brighter star.

α Ophiuchi, known to the Arabs as "Ras Alhague," meaning the "Head of the Serpent Charmer," is a second magnitude star six degrees east of a Herculis. In China it was known as "How," the "Duke." It is said to be receding from the earth at the rate of twelve miles a second, and culminates at 9 July 28th.

β Ophiuchi was named "Cebalrai," or "Cheleb," meaning "the Heart of the Shepherd," the stars α Ophiuchi and α Herculis representing the shepherd and his dog.

Of the four reptiles that are found among the constellation figures, Serpens is the Serpent. Statius thus writes of it:

Burritt tells us that the Hivites of the Old Testament were worshippers of the Serpent, and that this idolatry was extremely ancient. Serpens was identified with Eve's temple in the Garden of Eden, and in the astronomy of Arabia it was known as "the Snake," although before the Hellenic influence was felt in Arabia, the stars in this region of the heaven were regarded by the Arabs as representing a pasture.

The Hebrews knew this star group as "the Serpent,"