78 The Earth considered as a Planet. 



Thus we see while the earth is moving 

 from Libra through Capricorn to Aries, 

 the north pole remains in the illuminated 

 hemisphere, and will therefore have six 

 months of continual day. But in the 

 other half year, while the earth is moving 

 from Aries through Cancer to Libra, the 

 north pole is turned from the sun, and 

 therefore in darkness, but the south pole 

 is in the illuminated hemisphere. Hence 

 it is easy to perceive, that the inhabitants 

 of the southern hemisphere have the same 

 vicissitudes with those of the northern, 

 though not at the same time, it being win- 

 ter in one hemisphere when it is summer 

 in the other. 



During this annual course of the earth 

 there are four days in her orbit particu- 

 larly to be remarked ; these astronomers 

 have distinguished by the names of the 

 solstitial and equinoctial days. The sol- 

 stitial days are those on which the sun ap- 

 pears most to the northward and the 

 southward ; they are our longest and 

 shortest days, and are called the -winter 

 and summer solstices. The equinoctial 

 days are those on which the sun appears 

 in the equator, and the days are equal to 



