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Astronomical Dialogues.
33

you any thing more to teach me about this Circle?

Only the Explanation of a few Terms, or Words, which you will find used about it, said I, Madam: For you must know, that the Astronomers call the Distance of the Sun's Place at any time of the Year, from the Beginning of Aries here, which you see is placed at the Eastern Point, where this Circle of the Ecliptick, and that of the Equinoctial cross one another, they call that Distance, I say, his Longitude; and tho' the Sun himself apparently moves always in one Circle, exactly in the middle of the Zodiac, that is in the Ecliptic, yet the Moon, and the other Planets, do not, but sometimes are 5 or 6 Degrees to the North, and at others, as far to the South of this Circle; and this Deviation or Distance they call their Planets Latitude.Latitude; and you shall be shewn hereafter how to measure it; and the same Word is used also, with Reference to those fixed Stars which are not in the Ecliptick, but are distant from it, any Way, towards either of its Poles; for the Distance of a fixed Star from the Ecliptic, is also called its Latitude.

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