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224 Astronomy
is called the change or "New Moon";
in a few days after, as she
advances to the Eastward of
the sun, we see a small part
of her Enlightened face, and
she assumes a horned appearance
the "cusps or points" being turned
from the sun towards the East.
When she has advanced 90 [degrees] to
the Eastward of the Sun, we
then see half of her illuminated
face, and she is then said to be
in her "first quater" [quarter]; as she
proceeds on her journey, more
of her Elightened side becomes
visable, and she appears of an
oval or gibbous form. At
length, when she is in opposition
to the shun, she presents to us
the whole of her Enlightened
face and is is called the
time of "Full Moon". In
performing thoe other half of
her revolution, se wanes and
Exposes less and less of her
Enlightened side, till she
Entirely dissapears, and comes
again conjunction with the Sun.
When the moon
at the time of conjunction, is
directly between the Sun and
the Earth she will intercept a
part of the suns rays, and these
cause an "Eclipse of the Sun",
and when inopposition, the
Earth is directly between her
and the Sun, she will pass
through the Shadow of the Earth
and cause an "Eclipse of the Moon"
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Astronomy 225
These Eclipses would happen Every
revolution of the moon round the Earth,
if their orbits were in the same plane,
but the moons orbit is inclined to
the Earths in an angle of about 5
degrees, crossing it in 2 opposite
points, called the "Moons Nodes"
hence Eclipses of the Sun and Moon
can happen only when the moon is
in or near one of the nodes, she
being at all other times above or below
the plane of the Earths orbit.
"Mars" is the
least bright and Elegant of all the
planets, being of a dull red or fiery
color, supposed to arise from the
density of his atmosphere; his
diameter is 4100 miles; his distance
from the sun 142 millions of miles;
his periodic revolution is performed
in about 687 days; and he revolves
round his axis in 24 hours 40 minutes
"Mars" as well
as the other uperior planets
is not subject to the same limitations
on his apparent motion as "Mercury"
or Venus; but appears soe time
near the sun, and at other times
in opposition to him.
"Vesta" was
discovered by Doctor Olbert of
Bremen, on March 29, 1807, its
distance from the Sun is about 225 1/2
Million miles, and the length of its
year is 3 years, 240 days, 5 hours.
This planet appears like a star of
the 5th Magnitude.
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