238. The point _A_ is called _the Sun’s Apogee_, because when he is there he is at his greatest distance from the Earth; the point _C_ his _Perigee_, because when in it he is at his least distance from the Earth: and a right line, as _AEC_, drawn through the Earth’s center, from one of these points to the other, is called _the line of the Apsides_. [Sidenote: Mean Anomaly, what.] 239. The distance that the Sun has gone in any time from his Apogee (not the distance he has to go to it though ever so little) is called _his mean Anomaly_, and is reckoned in Signs and Degrees, allowing 30 Degrees to a Sign. Thus, when the Sun has gone suppose 174 degrees from his Apogee at _A_, he is said to be 5 Signs 24 Degrees from it, which is his mean Anomaly: and when he is gone suppose 355 degrees from his Apogee, he is said to be 11 Signs 25 Degrees from it, although he be but 5 Degrees short of _A_ in coming round to it again. 240. From what was said above it appears, that when the Sun’s Anomaly is less than 6 Signs, that is, when he is any where between _A_ and _C_, in the half _ABC_ of his orbit, the true noon precedes the fictitious; but when his Anomaly is more than 6 Signs, that is, when he is any where between _C_ and _A_, in the half _CDA_ of his Orbit, the fictitious noon precedes the true. When his Anomaly is 0 Signs 0 Degrees, that is, when he is in his Apogee at _A_; or 6 Signs 0 Degrees, which is when he is in his Perigee at _C_; he comes to the Meridian at the moment that the fictitious Sun does, and then it is noon by them both at the same instant.