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( 736 )
1f_
on the Cbange
1* Conrderations of the Latitxdes
fzxtStars, !y Edmund
ofJonteof theprincipal
Halley,RsS.Sec.
to examinethc qlan
SLJAving of late hadoccaGon
I tooktlle painsto compare thelDeclinations of thefixt
Starsdelivered by Ptolo7ny,in the 3dCllapterof tlle7tA
1300k of his Almag. as obServed by 127nosharisangl .:@r:
f71l(s near3ooYearsbeforechrif, and by SpparutAsws
about X7o Yearsaftertllem,tllat is about I 30 Ylears
befbreChriJi,Witil whatwe nowfind: andby the re
fult of 57erymanyCalculations,l concludedellattlle
fixt Starsin I800 Yearswereadvanced fomevs!:atLo$e
than^5 degreesin Longitude,or tllattlle PreceMo} is
fomewhat moretllatlso!'peran. ButtllatWitit [0 much
uncertaintys byrearonof theimperfedC)biervation*! of
the Ancients, ehatI cLzofen
llan7e in my l7ables
tO adtfiere
to the evenproportion of five Minutesin fis Yearb,
whichfromorllerPrincipIes we areaSuredis veryrear
tlleTruth.ButwllileI was upon this Enguiry,X |XFas
furprize/dto findtheLatitudesof tllree of ttleprirxcpal
ScarsinlHeaven diredlytO contradid thefuppoted-gr,>at
cr OJo/qaityof the Erliptick,x^11aich feerzzs colKrmedby
theLattudesof mo&of tile re2: tllCy being@ deV<n
sn theoldCataoguejasif the Plainof r1ze (;:)rS
:Eartlls
lladcllangcdits bicuation} among tile fist Starsy ab<zut
20 fincethe time of arch=. Particu!arly all tbe
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andthofbto t}zesoathwdttd wiih)o muctzm3reSctAerb
Latlt
t 73? 3
tatttudef aJletthe tlJrec Starsi7AD,;tz.Z;egtt t18eBwf/s
Eyt, SiriuxandAthrta do contradj& vlarsRuSedi-
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G*wtto
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wo sN4in. a3w lVortSvrf}
.;;e otXler wx more in LatI.u2<^
t3wan ;:nd
\& nt\ tli>$ \&1')ctt;$ 5 t^*si})t t0 ofw ti\'t 3$
.
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ucll moreSoBihtlefronli ls Eclipticic,(whofeOblilaluiF
vyhemakes -2 greaterthanweclleemit at preSent)
2' diJ
ficlinginthewloseq OnS11alf of thisdiSernce
aI >fi.i2]
axRAltaZdvJ7
nAtArss tv 4tlert uneare belloldenfor this
AntientC)blersarlollhasttanfatedit Nosztfromthe
undoubtedprincipesof AFronomy,it ]napefQible X7as
W-his
Argutnent
Geoms norut.uorthyof tlle EvralSo.
sits Confldcration,
to wlllom \ llunltly offier tlle p,!ain
Fa<5as t fi}d and xxouldbe g!ad tO havetllcir ()pi^
ict
nion.
But wlaller it vscrerealtytrue. tilat tle Cbliquitt,Jof
the Eclip.ick XYs1S, in tlle time or ZJ;typarchas
and P;o!e
y. reallyzz Msn.grearextlza] noWy Sjay weSllze C3LUc-
Sioned ; f1nccP apy^s allxdndrirbs, Wlzf3lived but atrtout
zoo after Ptolem r..akes ir tit't very {anteltilat
5fJears
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