SEYFFARTH — ON THE THEORY OF THE MOON'S MOTIONS. 52 1 



On this occasion Hind mentions a lunar eclipse, observed a.d. 

 33, April 3d, 3h., in Jerusalem, U 7° W., obscuration yi inches ; 

 but no ancient author cites it. Calvisius's "Opus Chronologicum" 

 only mentions, as something noteworthy, that about the time of 

 Christ's crucifixion, which, according to ancient tradition, pre- 

 ceded the full of the moon by one day, an obscuration of the moon 

 had taken place. The 14th day of Nisan, the day of the cruci- 

 fixion, was always the 19th day of March, Julian style (p. 414). 



Xo. 9. The really total eclipse of the sUn in Chseronea, wit- 

 nessed by Plutarch (p. 482), commenced with noon {ix fitaTjii- 

 6pia^ dp^afievrj), and happened a.d. 73, July 22d, 22h. P. T. ; 

 for about that time only one eclipse of the sun, viz. the one I'ust 

 mentioned, coincided with noon, U 7° E. ; curve 63°_64°, 61°, 

 24°. It must have been total in Chaeronea (38° 30' N. Lat., 20^ 

 46' Long.), because the longitude of the U was shorter by nearly 

 3° 24'. Hind examined, by means of Hansen's Tables, all eclip- 

 ses of the second half of the first century, as well as the ecliptic 

 new moons of the first part of the second century, but failed, of 

 course, to discover Plutarch's really total eclipse. Hence the in- 

 ference is self-evident. 



No. 10. Eye-witnesses have certified that a.d. 418, July 19th, 

 7 hrs. after sunrise in Constantinople, a total eclipse of the sun 

 happened there, and a comet was discovered during the eclipse. 

 Hansen's Tables, on the contrary, state this eclipse to have been 

 partial in Constantinople ; it was only total several miles south of 

 Constantinople. Since, however, the western distance of the U 

 from the sun amounted to 5°, and not to 4°, the totality of this 

 eclipse in Constantinople is saved. This important eclipse will 

 contribute to establish the true secular acceleration of the moon's 

 Nodes. 



No. II. Hind alleges a total eclipse of the sun, observed in 

 Medina a.d. 671, Dec. 6th, 22h. 3m. — which was, however, annu- 

 lar according to Hansen's Tables — and the obscuration of the sun 

 amounted to -^ only, ft 6° W. The longitude of the ft being 

 shorter by 1° 31' (p. 429), and that of the perigee shorter by 4°, 

 I conjecture that this eclipse was total in Medina. 



No. 12. It is reported that a.d. 840, May 5th, ih. 15m., a total 

 eclipse of the sun was seen in Worms (Lat. 49° 38'), and yet its 

 totality was visible, according to Hansen's Tables, but 100 miles 



