Sketcher.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 429, 11 August 1904, Page 2

Sketcher.

ASTRONOMY. 3K3KBOM the earliest times the heavenly Wclr bodies in their seasons* have been jjgtgj regarded as grand time-meaeuree; but long before the stars had been observed for astrological or other purposes, the sun and moon more intimately connected with man's existence came to be regarded as time-marking machines; and it is on the motions of these two celestial bodies that all Calendars have been based.

It would be reasonably expected tbat the sun, which is the great source m*. supporter of life upon the earth, and thregulator of the seasons would be generally adopted as a measurer of time; but men were also struck by tbe constant and regular return of tbe phases of the moon, and from this fact they were led to use the moon as the basis for their calendar.

The Mussulman year is purely lunar, and consists of the period embraced by twelve revolutions of the moon around the earth, or three hundred and fifty-four and one-third days. The Israelites never adopted the solar year, not even when they lived so long in the land of Egypt, for we find them, so soon as they were settled in the Promised Laßd, using the lunar month and the lunar year. Toe ancient J swish year had only three hundred and fifty-four days; taelve days were added sometimes at the end of the year, and sometimes a month of thirty days after the month Adar, in order to bring it into agreement with the solar year, Bat the Jewish calendar received a reform in the fourth century after the Christian era, and it is in this improved calendar which is used by the Jaws of our day for fixing their festivals and religious ceremonies, It is extremely ingenious, and is based on the course of the moon. The year is composed of twelve lunar months when common, and of thirteen lunar months when cmbolismic; and these years succeed each other in such a way that after a period of nineteen years the commencement of the Jewish year arrives at the same epoch as the solar year. The Jewish year is therefore a lunar-solar year; and the civil year of this remarkable people, in common with all Oriental nations, commence s with the new moon of September, and the ecclesiastical year at the new moon in March.

The EgyplUns, who reached a high etate of civilisation in the dim twilight of of remote antiquity, calculated the year as consisting of three hundred and sixty days, or twelve months of thirty days. In the pursuit of astrology—that vain attempt to evolve the seor&t of the supposed mystic connection between the celestial bodies and the destiny of m in—the Egyptians were unconsciously laying the groundwork of the sublime science of astronomy; and in a period of continued observation they .found that the year of three hundred and eixti days fell short of a true solar year by five days. The new year came into force and commenced on the 26 :h of February 747 b c , and this day was the beginning of the era of Nabonassar. The yaar of three hundred and sixty-five days was followed for a period of seven hundred and twenty-three years; but in the same year 25 bc a supplementary day was added every four years, and this year of three hundred and sixty-five and one-fourth days became a fixed year, and was adopted by the Romans when they conquered Egypt, This year was also adopted by the Copts, and the first year of the era of the martyrs commenced on the 20 hj of August 281 a x> The Greeks, the most cultured of the nations of antiquity, were rather slow to turn their powers of observation to the sky. Theyemployfcd at first—borrowing from the Egyj.tiam and the Babjloniwis —the year of three hundred bbc! sixty days, divided into twelve moaths of thirty days. Each month consisted of three decades; and this is the solo example in ancient history of a week of ten days.