5o8 TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



Alexander's death "424 years elapsed," we have to presume that 

 the fii'st kings of the Nabonassarian era reigned not two years, as 

 w^as the case with Nabopolassar and his successors, but even three 

 years later. Hence the lunar eclipse in the first year of Mardo- 

 kempad which Ptolemy refers to — 720, March 19th, 8h. P.T., 

 y 1° W., is to be referred to —717, Jan. i6th, 4h. P. T., 15 5°E. 

 The longitude of the Nodes was (p. 429) shorter by 7° 3', and 

 this total obscuration of the moon took place about 3 hours 30 

 minutes after midnight in Babylon. 



2. The following eclipse in the 2d year of Mardokempad, 

 which Ptolemy refers to —719, March 8th, loh. P. T., 13 9° W., 

 obscuration f of an inch, belongs to — 716, Nov. 26th, oh. P. T., 

 for the longitude of the O was 7® 28°, that of the moon i* 28°, that 

 of the 15 8^ 19°. The opposition in Babylon took place 2h. 46m., 

 and according to our Table, p. 429, nearly 4 hours 33 minutes 

 later, i.e. about 7 o'clock p.m. local time. The longitude of the 

 15 was shorter (p. 429) by about 7° 3'. Since, however, the Lunar 

 Ecliptic Limit is commonly 12°, and not 13°, this eclipse is to be 

 computed more exactly. The longitude of the Apsides was then, 

 according to our Table, p. 429, shorter by about 3° 21'. 



3. The other ecliptic full moon of the 2d year of Mardokem- 

 pad, which Ptolemy refers to — 719, Sept. ist, 7h. 30m. P. T., 

 y 9° W., obscuration 5 inches ; happened in — 715, May 21, 5h. 

 P. T. ; long. O i« 21° 49'; Long D f 21° 43'; long, ft 2« 9° 59'. 

 The opposition in Babylon took place a few minutes after mid- 

 night, and the U lay (p. 429) 10° 41' E. of the sun. 



14- Ptolemy (Aim. vi. 5, p. 3S9) mentions a lunar eclipse ob- 

 served in the 7th year of Ptolemaeus Philometor, which eclipse he 

 refers to — 173, April 30th, i2h. 45m, P. T., ft 9° W., obscura- 

 tion 7 inches. Since Ptolemaeus Soter, however, ruled three years 

 later than Ptolemy's Historical Canon states, and since Ptolema?us 

 Alexander and Cleopatra died, respectively, one and two years 

 later, as we have seen (p. 503), it is probable that Philometor 

 likewise reigned one or two years later, and that, accordingly, 

 Ptolemy's eclipse happened in — 171, Sept. 2d, iih. 30m. P. T., 

 15 5° 59' E., obscuration iii inches. The full moon in — 173, 

 April 30th, was not ecliptic (p. 429), and in — 172 no lunar 

 eclipse occurred. 



