ANNUAL MOTION.

The ship was much delayed in the Region of the Calms, as it is called; that is, near the equator.

After a while the astronomical¹ dialogue was resumed.

“Well, James, look now at your twinkling friends, and tell where you are.

I suppose by the North Polar star resting upon the waters to the north, that we must be now nearly on the top of the hill, by the equator.

We are so, my lad. But what time did the sun rise this morning?

At six, and it set at exactly six this evening.

Do you know what day of the month it is?

The twenty-third of September.

Have you ever observed the sun to rise and set at six o’clock before, on the voyage?

No, father.

Well, then, you will recollect² hereafter that[Pg 20] you were upon the equator on the twenty-third of September, when there was equal day and night. But did you not know of equal day and night at home?

Yes; about half-way between winter and summer.

Just so; that is, at the end of September.

Why should it be so there in England and here too?

We will try and find out. I think I have pointed³ out to you the Pleiades.

I know them well. They are in the Bull cluster.

There happens to be a band of twelve constellations⁴ forming a broad circle of the heavens.

Is that what is called the Signs of the Zodiac?

The same. Can you repeat them?

Yes, father. Aries the Ram⁶, Taurus the Bull, Gemini the Twins, Cancer the Crab⁷, Leo the Lion, Virgo the Virgin⁸, Libra the Scales, Scorpio the Scorpion⁹, Sagittarius the Archer¹⁰, Capricornus the Goat, Aquarius the Water-bearer, Pisces the Fishes.

Over there to the eastward¹¹ is one of these that rose as the sun was setting. The sun is seen opposite one or other of the twelve constellations in each month of the year. It is observed, for instance, to rise each morning for a month in the constellation⁵ of the Ram, and for the next month in the Bull.

How can it be among those stars when you say they are so much farther off?

By saying it is in such a constellation, I[Pg 21] mean that it is in a line between us and that cluster of stars.

Why, then, the sun appears to go a journey between the stars and us for a whole year. Then it will rise in the Ram twelve months after it had been seen opposite that constellation. I wonder how this can be. Did you not say, father, that neither the stars nor the sun really moved?

I did.

Well, then, it must be either the stars turning about the sun, or the sun taking an annual trip about them, and yet the stars do not move, and the sun does not.

Let us leave the sun and his trip for a little, while we have another talk about the stars.

Notice that red star just rising there on the larboard side.

I have it, father.

As I want you to remember it, take my pocket-book and mark off with the pencil a picture of the star and its four neighbours, putting a cross under the one that has just risen.

There it is,—the under one of this cluster I have sketched¹². I shall know him again.

Now, then, you must go below, and resume your observations to-morrow. I took the exact time—seven p.m.—when you saw the star rise. You must look for it at seven to-morrow evening.”

At four minutes before seven the next night, up rose the pretty object, and stole a glance at the boy across the ocean.

[Pg 22]“Father, father! it’s up, it’s up!” sang out the happy lad.

His father looked at his watch, and said—

“Your star did not come to his time. It was four minutes to seven o’clock when he appeared, and that is four minutes too soon.

How is that, father? I must ask you, for it is of no use asking the star.

Perhaps you will still wonder when I tell you that to-morrow evening it will be eight minutes to seven before it gets up at this place.

Why, this is like the sun among the stars—always getting out of his place. But the sun gets right after a year.

Do you think our star will ever get right—so as to rise at seven some other evening?

I do not know, father.

If it rise four minutes earlier every day when will it be an hour earlier?

In half-a-month; and twenty-four hours earlier in twelve months. But that is the time when it will be visiting at night again.

So you have ascertained¹³ that the stars go an apparent journey round the earth in a year; like as the sun takes a year to go his apparent course among the stars.

Then both must have the same cause. As I found the daily motion of the stars was owing to the real daily motion of the earth, I suppose this yearly motion of the stars must be caused by some yearly motion of the earth.

Either the sun turns round the earth once a year, or the earth does round the sun.

[Pg 23]Well, father, the sun appeared also to turn round the earth once a day. I do not think I could run round the deck in two minutes while I am two hours doing it. Then, as I am satisfied it did not have a daily motion, I am the more disposed not to trust to this apparent yearly motion. It is more likely, too, that the little world should run round the great sun, than that the great sun should revolve¹⁴ round the earth.

I perceive you are as settled upon the annual or yearly motion as you were upon the diurnal¹⁵ or daily revolution.”

1 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

2 recollect   

v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得

参考例句：

• He tried to recollect things and drown himself in them.他极力回想过去的事情而沉浸于回忆之中。
• She could not recollect being there.她回想不起曾经到过那儿。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 constellations   

n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人）

参考例句：

• The map of the heavens showed all the northern constellations. 这份天体图标明了北半部所有的星座。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His time was coming, he would move in the constellations of power. 他时来运转，要进入权力中心了。 来自教父部分

5 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

6 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

7 crab   

n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气

参考例句：

• I can't remember when I last had crab.我不记得上次吃蟹是什么时候了。
• The skin on my face felt as hard as a crab's back.我脸上的皮仿佛僵硬了，就象螃蟹的壳似的。

8 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

9 scorpion   

n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭

参考例句：

• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。
• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。

10 archer   

n.射手，弓箭手

参考例句：

• The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。
• The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye.射手的那一箭正中靶心。

11 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

12 sketched   

v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 ascertained   

v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 revolve   

vi.(使)旋转；循环出现

参考例句：

• The planets revolve around the sun.行星绕着太阳运转。
• The wheels began to revolve slowly.车轮开始慢慢转动。

15 diurnal   

adj.白天的，每日的

参考例句：

• Kangaroos are diurnal animals.袋鼠是日间活动的动物。
• Over water the diurnal change in refraction is likely to be small. 在水面上，折光的周日变化可能是很小的。