midnight
The North Star was directly in the wind 's eye , and since evening the Bear had swung round it outwardly to the east , till he was now at a right angle with the meridian . A difference of colour in the stars -- oftener read of than seen in England -- was really perceptible here . The sovereign brilliancy of Sirius pierced the eye with a steely glitter , the star called Capella was yellow , Aldebaran and Betelgueux shone with a fiery red . To persons standing alone on a hill during a clear midnight such as this , the roll of the world eastward is almost a palpable movement . The sensation may be caused by the panoramic glide of the stars past earthly objects , which is perceptible in a few minutes of stillness , or by the better outlook upon space that a hill affords , or by the wind , or by the solitude ; but whatever be its origin , the impression of riding along is vivid and abiding . The poetry of motion is a phrase much in use , and to enjoy the epic form of that gratification it is necessary to stand on a hill at a small hour of the night , and , having first expanded with a sense of difference from the mass of civilised mankind , who are dreamwrapt and disregardful of all such proceedings at this time , long and quietly watch your stately progress through the stars . After such a nocturnal reconnoitre it is hard to get back to earth , and to believe that the consciousness of such majestic speeding is derived from a tiny human frame .