247. As the Sun describes the whole Ecliptic, or 360 degrees, in a Tropical year, he moves 59ʹ 8ʺ of a degree every day; and consequently 50ʺ of a degree in 20 minutes 17-1/2 seconds of time: therefore, he will arrive at the same Equinox or Solstice when he is 50ʺ of a degree short of the same Star or fixed point in the Heavens from which he set out in the year before. So that, with respect to the fixed Stars, the Sun and Equinoctial points fall back (as it were) 30 degrees in 2160 years; which will make the Stars appear to have gone 30 deg. forward, with respect to the Signs of the Ecliptic in that time: for the same Signs always keep in the same points of the Ecliptic, without regard to the constellations. +------------------------------------------------------------------+ | _A_ TABLE _shewing the Precession of the Equinoctial | | Points in the Heavens, both in Motion and Time; | | and the Anticipation of the Equinoxes on Earth_. | +--------+--------------------------------------++-----------------+ | | Precession of the Equinoctial || Anticipation of | | | Points in the Heavens. || the Equinoxes | | Julian +----------------+---------------------++ on the Earth. | | years. | Motion. | Time. || | | +----------------+---------------------++-----------------+ | | S. ° ʹ ʺ | Days H. M. S. || D. H. M. S. | +--------+----------------+--------------------++------------------+ | 1 | 0 0 0 50 | 0 0 20 17-1/2 || 0 0 11 3 | | 2 | 0 0 1 40 | 0 0 40 35 || 0 0 22 6 | | 3 | 0 0 2 30 | 0 1 0 52-1/2 || 0 0 33 9 | | 4 | 0 0 3 20 | 0 1 21 10 || 0 0 44 12 | | 5 | 0 0 4 10 | 0 1 41 27-1/2 || 0 0 55 15 | +--------+----------------+---------------------++-----------------+ | 6 | 0 0 5 0 | 0 2 1 45 || 0 1 6 18 | | 7 | 0 0 5 50 | 0 2 22 2-1/2 || 0 1 17 21 | | 8 | 0 0 6 40 | 0 2 42 20 || 0 1 28 24 | | 9 | 0 0 7 30 | 0 3 2 37-1/2 || 0 1 39 27 | | 10 | 0 0 8 20 | 0 3 22 55 || 0 1 50 30 | +--------+----------------+---------------------++-----------------+ | 20 | 0 0 16 40 | 0 6 45 50 || 0 3 41 0 | | 30 | 0 0 25 0 | 0 10 8 45 || 0 5 31 30 | | 40 | 0 0 33 20 | 0 13 31 40 || 0 7 22 0 | | 50 | 0 0 41 40 | 0 16 54 35 || 0 9 12 30 | | 60 | 0 0 50 0 | 0 20 17 30 || 0 11 3 0 | +--------+----------------+---------------------++-----------------+ | 70 | 0 0 58 20 | 0 23 40 25 || 0 12 53 30 | | 80 | 0 1 6 40 | 1 3 3 20 || 0 14 44 0 |