Early

Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in the World

This article is one of nearly 500,000 scholarly works digitized and made freely available to everyone in
the world by JSTOR.

Known as the Early Journal Content, this set of works include research articles, news, letters, and other
writings published in more than 200 of the oldest leading academic journals. The works date from the
mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries.

We encourage people to read and share the Early Journal Content openly and to tell others that this
resource exists. People may post this content online or redistribute in any way for non-commercial
purposes.

Read more about Early Journal Content at http://about.jstor.org/participate-jstor/individuals/early-

journal-content.

JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. JSTOR helps people
discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching
platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit
organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico. For more information about JSTOR, please
contact support@jstor.org.
 ( 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$e
than^5 degreesin Longitude,or tllattlle PreceMo} is
fomewhat moretllatlso!'peran. ButtllatWitit [0 much
uncertaintys byrearonof theimperfedC)biervation*! of
the Ancients, ehatI cLzofen
llan7e in my l7ables
tO adtfiere
to the evenproportion of five Minutesin fis Yearb,
whichfromorllerPrincipIes we areaSuredis veryrear
tlleTruth.ButwllileI was upon this Enguiry,X |XFas
furprize/dto findtheLatitudesof tllree of ttleprirxcpal
ScarsinlHeaven diredlytO contradid thefuppoted-gr,>at
cr OJo/qaityof the Erliptick,x^11aich feerzzs colKrmedby
theLattudesof mo&of tile re2: tllCy being@ deV<n
sn theoldCataoguejasif the Plainof r1ze (;:)rS
:Eartlls
lladcllangcdits bicuation} among tile fist Starsy ab<zut
20 fincethe time of arch=. Particu!arly all tbe
Starsin Geminiare put downW thofeto tkleNkr-;4zdrH of
theEcliptick? xvirllb muciz le{9t...atstddt t5ZiA tte fiOd}
andthofbto t}zesoathwdttd wiih)o muctzm3reSctAerb
Latlt
 t 73? 3
tatttudef aJletthe tlJrec Starsi7AD,;tz.Z;egtt t18eBwf/s
Eyt, SiriuxandAthrta do contradj& vlarsRuSedi-
redrly:f8r lty zvr /tW;tElOG;##fbeingstl tte days <35 9*
Pr+ eW3 1ts a5eUr I O O^t 0i 7)XtGfS OUglst tO be about I i
Mi5s4 g.osC PzQ#f&ftX t1+>e'3nSt prefeilr.end SitiB3bWi5
t5s:)jtl aSeut tg of ught eo be zoblin mor:
G*wtto
Sa{IJ^ Js 4han tta@'Mft ^ t.t ff vStrzG *$[610g} pitcS thv StA
wo sN4in. a3w lVortSvrf}
.;;e otXler wx more in LatI.u2<^

rkan we ntNvEnd tlCm. Nor are tlleX ctrorsof + ran-

but arnproved to te r*ghtby the {:ctisnations
Seri.priont
of tbemSeedownby Fto>, a otzfervedlrytXROC4dt;S,
gppvSs whtch{hew;izaetl:n*}SeLaticudc
andhimlSell
intendedoAsto rgXre.+ fi
Autllors
arerllefameasth;zGe
he istoonear tilC EquinodialC>.olure$ to AtgUefrom
him cnncerningthc changeof the ObliguIkyof tlle
EcJiptick,but Ptolot ,ivee 11ittt 33 moteN7th Lt*riX
tude than}zenowhas; arldtllatgreaterLatituaessikcb
wifeconGrmed by the Declination)deliveredby the aF
boneAidObfcrvers So then all vlzefetllreeStarsa
Xundto be above tzalE a degree moreSO;tAPSX at F11as
titne thanthe Antients reckonedthemt Whenon tfl:
of Ori.Rs
contraryat tlle (ixne time the brlglltSlloulder
Ilasin Ptbwalt3l0ft a degrcemoreSnathvre Taicu>;^
tIzanat pre(en;. 17t7hat thallwe [ay thenz ttlsWcarc>

ctediblethatthe Atotients collldbv decesved in{e pajn

an1AttCr CbSrsters
tTlrce confitnning cah otlsC"* bgairX
thefeStarsbcing nlt sl10 Gn@sCt}oS in t34asseno are >
a11prokability thentare(E to the Wart-t>} 2Dsv it thLy ;haave
anyparticular hTotion of tllesross+, it 1$ InQa isJt'\'''

to beprceitied snthvn whi^tlin rOtO,tng a ti;le as K8oo

Years it [v15
tmlsv ty nlesit Of theirpla<esv ttAe 2ttCrt.txo3

tilOUgtl it be urte}l< mpcreytsS' ilstho ftt*seo;*a f;t1<

ge t er.turyOf \teS as to Siri#se it t<;aV tot**2
wr< a*$ jwtX

sed thatEckoBrJk makes t A+itzlutr &v>.tof'- hi-tJz tt/

t3wan ;:nd
\& nt\ tli>$ \&1')ctt;$ 5 t^*si})t t0 ofw ti\'t 3$

.
 (738 )
ucll moreSoBihtlefronli ls Eclipticic,(whofeOblilaluiF
vyhemakes -2 greaterthanweclleemit at preSent)
2' diJ
ficlinginthewloseq OnS11alf of thisdiSernce
aI >fi.i2]

rnaypwrllapz beexcu(ed)if retfa&lotl

were not alloso;ed
11 this t-ateby lycto; ycsrtutnMttlutec,in fnucha li)tar
too n:tltllfor[liin to b: milRas
as Jiitas, is iomcwlzat
ken
13uta fiUirlizer
and moreer7ident of thisclra,ge proof

i) drawnfromthe 'Servattoil of tlle appjicatiorl!of

tlle Aloonco Pdliidt Ht}>:0(hriMt509 Mr. 1@.
wwllenin rlle beginatag c)ftile Night rlle Mootz xvas
feen co follow i llat tp*tar
verwir*2r,an 1 { erred to I-ave
Ecliptedit. #4ake >'p o M72 tXt' 4 < &iozv
ppss tt tb "tvit> 7rseA&,eJ s g E > co erySs Mpss. .
- teliJ
4Xvt.t Ltva.e
iSgt:
erdt p.4rfi perX^x'>xP
Pl coU*f#r lfwkss

axRAltaZdvJ7
nAtArss tv 4tlert uneare belloldenfor this
AntientC)blersarlollhasttanfatedit Nosztfromthe
undoubtedprincipesof AFronomy,it ]napefQible X7as

fbr this eo be tu; at Athns. or near it, llNlt6S ttlC

Latittldeof PJltlzctsw
werenluellJeli thanwe Xt CtliS
tine hndst. E B!lislZdi tSrXPhiDAtrea)p.lf I; 2d

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

xve do. FideP"ppi CO/IP2. Li$.V1. PropJ*

>l1.Ats