How long would a cannon ball be in flying that distance, supposing it should continue to move with the same velocity, as at its first discharge? Of what size would the Sun probably appear from the nearest fixed Star? Is it not probable that every Star is the centre of a magnificent system? On what account have they been distributed into classes? What are those called which appear largest ? What are Constellations ? What is the use of dividing them into Constellations? How many Constellations on the celestial globes? What is the Zodiac ? How many Constellations in the Zodiac? What is the breadth of the Zodiac ? What the Galaxy, or Milky Way? What is a Group of Stars? What are Clusters of Stars? SECTION NINETEENTH. AN ACCOUNT OF THE GREGORIAN, OR NEW STYLE, TOGETHER FINDING THE EPACT, GOLDEN NUMBER, POPE GREGORY THIRTEENTH, made a reformation of the calendar. The Julian calender, (or Old Style,) had before that time, been in general use all over Europe. The year, according to the Julian calendar, consists of 365 days and 6 hours, which 6 hours being part of a day, the common years consisted of 365 days and every fourth year, one day was added to the month of February, which made each of those years consist of 366 days, commonly called leap years. This computation, (though near the truth,) is more than the Solar year, by 11 minutes and 3 seconds, which, in 131 years amounts to a whole day. By which the Vernal Equinox was anticipated ten days from the time of the general council of Nice, held in the year 325 of the Christian Era, to the time of Pope Gregory, who therefore caused ten days to be taken out of the month of October,1582, to make the Equinox full on the 21st of March, as it did at the time of that council; and to prevent the like variation for the future, he ordered that three days should be abated in every four hundred years, by reducing the leap year at the close of each century, for three successive centuries, to common years, and retaining the leap year at the close of each fourth century only. This, at that time, was esteemed as exactly conformable to the true solar year. But since that time, the true solar year is found to consist of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 49 seconds, which in 50 centuries will make another day's variation. Though the Gregorian Calendar, (or New Style,) had long been in use throughout the greatest part of Europe, it did not take place in GREAT BRITAIN and AMERICA, till the first of January, 1752, and in September following, the 11 days were adjusted by calling the third day of that month, the fourteenth, and continuing the rest in their order. CHRONOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. As there are three leap years to be abated in every four centuries, to find which century is to be leap year and which not. RULE.-Cut off two cyphers from the given year, and divide the remaining figures by 4, if nothing remain, the year will be leap year. there being a remainder of 3, it will will. not be leap year. But the year 4/20(00 To find the Dominical or Sunday Letter. RULE. To the given year, add its fourth part, rejecting remainders, divide the sum by 7, and if there be no remainder, A is the Sunday letter; but if any number remains, then the letter standing under that number, is the Dominical letter, and the day of the week on which the year commences. A leap year has two Dominical letters, the first of which commences the year, and continues to the 24th of February, and the other to the end of the year. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sunday, 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 EXAMPLE. Required the Dominical letters for the years 1832. 4)1832 Days in a week 7)2290 327-1 The year 1832, was leap year, & AGFEDC B according to the work, the remainder being 1, the first Sunday letter was A, and G was the second,the year also commenced on Sunday. To find the Golden Number. RULE.-Add 1 to the given year, divide the sum by 19, and the remainder will be the Golden Number: if nothing remain, then 19 will be the number sought. Required the Golden Number for the year 1832, To the given year Add 1832 1 19)1833(96 171 123 114 Golden Number, 9 To find the Epact. RULE.-Subtract 1 from the Golden Number, divide the remainder by 3, if 1 remain, add 10 to the dividend, the sum will be the Epact; if nothing remain, the dividend is the Epact. Required the Epact for the year 1832. The Golden Number, as found above, is 9, therefore, subtract 1,and the remainder is 8, divide 8 by 3, and the quotient is two, and 2 remains, multiply this remainder by 10, and the product is 20, to which add the dividend, and the sum is 29, the Epact for 1832. To find the year of the Dionysian Period. RULE. Add to the given year 457, divide the sum by 532, and the remainder will be the number required. Required the year of the Dionysian Period, for the year 1832. To the given year, 1832. Add 457 532)2289(4 2128 161 Dionysian Period. To find the Julian Period. RULE.-Add 4713 to the given year, and the sum will be the Julian Period. Christian Era, 1832. Required the Julian Period for the year of the 1832 4713 6545 year of the julian period. *To find the Cycle of the Sun, Golden Number, and indiction for any Current Year. Rule. To the current year add 4713, divide the sum by 28, 19, and 15, respectively, and the several remainders will be the numbers required. If nothing remains, the divisors are the required numbers. *A Cycle is a perpetual round, or circulation of the same parts of time of any sort. The Cycle of the Sun, is a revolution of 28 years, in which the days of the months return again to the same days of the |
