The Earth considered as a Planet, 81 



pic of Capricorn, it gets to the south of 

 the equator ; or its declination towards 

 the south pole increases. Therefore, at 

 that time of year, our days shorten, and 

 our nights lengthen, till the sun arrives 

 at the tropic of Capricorn; but, when 

 the sun is arrived there, it is then at its 

 utmost southeren limit, and returns in 

 the ecliptic to the equator again. Dur- 

 ing this return, its distance from our pole 

 lessens, and consequently the days will 

 lengthen, as the nights will shorten, till 

 they become equal, when the sun is come 

 round to the vernal equinoctial point. 



The earth's orbit being elliptical, and 

 the sun constantly keeping in its lower 

 focus, which is 1,377,000 miles from the 

 middle point of the longer axis, the earth 

 comes twice so much, or 2, 754,000 miles 

 nearer the sun at one time of the year 

 than at another: for the sun appearing 

 under a larger angle in our winter than 

 summer, proves that the earth must be 

 nearer the sun in the former season than 

 in the latter. How then does it happen 

 that we have not the hottest weather 

 when we are at the least distance from the 

 sun : The earth is above 2,000,000 of 

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