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The stern or puppis, from which we derive the term poop, was elevated above the other parts of the deck, and here the helmsman had his seat, sheltered by a shed frequently adorned with an image of the tutelary deity of the vessel. Sometimes he had a lantern hanging in front of him, probably to enable him to see the magic compass, the use of which was kept secret from the rest of the crew.
Before that time the guns were fought over the bulwarks, or were alone placed on the forecastle, and the aftercastle, which latter portion of the ship is now called the poop. This word poop is evidently derived from the Latin puppis, as originally the after-part of a ship was called by the Romans, and thence the name was given to the ship herself, a part being taken for the whole.
Among eclipsing stars should probably be reckoned the peculiar variables, Beta Lyræ and V Puppis, each believed to consist of a pair of bright stars revolving almost in contact.
In 1896, accordingly, a second, bound to the first by unmistakable numerical relationships, was recognised by Professor Pickering in spectrographs of the 2·5 magnitude star Zeta Puppis, and the identification was shortly afterwards extended to prominent Wolf-Rayet emission lines. The discovery was capped by Dr.
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