The Study of Astronomy, adapted to the capacities of youth / In twelve familiar dialogues, between a tutor and his pupil: explaining the general phænomena of the heavenly bodies, the theory of the tides, &c.

by teacher of astronomy John Stedman

Pupil. I used to think that when it was winter or summer here it was so in every part of the world.

Tutor. You now find your mistake. For as the earth is making its progress from Libra, the north pole is approaching the sun, and the south pole receding from him: consequently the length of the day is increasing in the northern hemisphere and decreasing in the southern.—The sun has now been three months above the horizon of the north pole, and the same time below that of the south pole, and in three months more, when the earth arrives at Aries, the scene will be reversed: the sun will be over the equator, both poles will be again enlightened, and the day and night will be equal in every part of the globe. The sun will now be rising to the south and setting to the north pole. This is our Autumn.

Pupil. And as the earth is advancing towards winter, the south pole will be turning to the sun, and the north pole from him, whence I conclude that when the earth is in Cancer it must be summer, south of the equator, when it is our winter.

Tutor. Most assuredly. For you see that the sun is over the tropic of Capricorn, which you know is as much south of the equator as the tropic of Cancer is north of it, where the sun was in our summer. The antarctic circle is now enlightened, and the arctic obscured in shade; but, under the equator there is neither increase nor decrease, the days and nights being each twelve hours.

Pupil. It is now our winter, the sun has been three months above the horizon of the south pole, and will continue so till the vernal equinox, when he will again rise to the north pole, and so on in regular succession.

Tutor. It must be plain then to you that there can be but one day and one night at each of the poles, reckoning the time the sun is above or below their respective horizons; under the arctic and antarctic circles, the longest day is twenty-four hours, and in the shortest the sun is just visible in the horizon at noon. The longest day decreases in length the nearer we approach the equator, where I before observed there is no variation, because the circle bounding light and darkness, in every position of the earth, divides the equator into two equal parts; and, it must be observed, that the longest day and longest night are equal to each other in every part of the globe.

Pupil. If the longest day under the arctic circle be just twenty-four hours, the sun must rise in the north.

Tutor. He does so, makes a complete circle and sets in the [^[15]]north again. From the arctic circle to the equator, he rises north of the east and sets north of the west: at the equator he rises due east and sets due west, thence southward to the antarctic circle, he rises south of the east, and sets south of the west: and under the antarctic circle, as I observed just now, he is visible in the horizon in the south at noon.

Pupil. We usually say, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Tutor. At the equinoxes it must be so in all parts of the globe, the poles excepted: in every other situation, except under the equator, there is a continual change. What I have now told you, respecting the northern hemisphere, will be reversed at our shortest day: that is, in the northern hemisphere the sun will rise south of the east and set south of the west; and, in the southern hemisphere the contrary, the sun will be in the horizon, at noon, under the arctic circle, and the day will be twenty-four hours under the antarctic circle.