Mifcellanea Curiofa. a 8 1 



as to eftimating Diftances, from what they 

 could do while they had the ufe of both. 



But now when the Diftance grows fo great, 

 as that the Pofition of thefe vifual Axes be- 

 come Parallel, or fo near to Parallel, as not 

 to be diftinguifhable from it : This advan- 

 tage is loft, and we can thenceforth only 

 conclude, that it is far off } but not how far. 



Hence it is, that our view can make no 

 diftin&ion of the Moon's Diftance, from that 

 of the other Planets, or even of the fixed 

 Stars : But they feem to us as equally remote 

 from us } though we otherwife know their 

 Diftances from us to be vaftly different. Be^ 

 caufe the Parallax (as I may fo call it) from 

 the different Pofition of the two Eyes, is quite 

 loft, and undifcernable, in Diftances much 

 lefs than the leaft of thefe. 



And fo, of the fixed Stars among them- 

 felves : Which, though they feem equally re- 

 mote from us } many (for ought we know) 

 be at Diftances vaftly different. Nor can we 

 tell, which of them is neareft: (unlefs perhaps 

 we may reafonably guefs, thofe to be neareft, 

 which feem biggeft.) Becaufe, here not on- 

 ly the Parallax from the Diftance of the two 

 Eyes , and that from the Earths Semidiame- 

 ter j but even that from the Semidia meter of 

 the Earths great Orb, is quite loft j and none 

 remaining, whereby to eftimate their Diftance 

 from us. 



But (to return to our cafe in hand ;) tho' 

 as to fmall Diftances, we may make fome 

 eftimate from the known Magnitude of the 

 Object : And, as to middling diftances, from 

 the Parallax (as I may call it) arifing from 



the 



