You have doubtless observed, that the moon appears much further in the south at one time than at another, when of the same age. This is owing to the fact that the ecliptic, and of course the moon's path, which is always very near it, is differently situated with respect to the _horizon_, at a given time of night, at different seasons of the year. This you will see at once, by turning to an artificial globe, and observing how the ecliptic stands with respect to the horizon, at different periods of the revolution. Thus, if we place the two equinoctial points in the eastern and western horizon, Libra being in the west, it will represent the position of the ecliptic at sunset in the month of September, when the sun is crossing the equator; and at that season of the year, the moon's path through our evening sky, one evening after another, from new to full, will be nearly along the same route, crossing the meridian nearly at right angles. But if we place the Winter solstice, or first degree of Capricorn, in the western horizon, and the first degree of Cancer in the eastern, then the position of the ecliptic will be very oblique to the meridian, the Winter solstice being very far in the southwest, and the Summer solstice very far in the northeast; and the course of the moon from new to full will be nearly along this track. Keeping these things in mind, we may easily see why the moon runs sometimes high and sometimes low. Recollect, also, that the new moon is always in the same part of the heavens with the sun, and that the full moon is in the opposite part of the heavens from the sun. Now, when the sun is at the Winter solstice, it sets far in the southwest, and accordingly the new moon runs very low; but the full moon, being in the opposite tropic, which rises far in the northeast, runs very high, as is known to be the case in mid-winter. But now take the position of the ecliptic in mid-summer. Then, at sunset, the tropic of Cancer is in the northwest, and the tropic of Capricorn in the southeast; consequently, the new moons run high and the full moons low.