Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 1: Containing a collection of some of the principal phaenomena in nature, accounted for by the greatest philosophers of this age
History
Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 1: Containing a collection of some of the principal phaenomena in nature, accounted for by the greatest philosophers of this age
Natural history; Science -- Early works to 1800; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
It is also observ'd, that _cæteris paribus_, the Æquinoctial Spring
Tides in _March_ and _September_, or near them, are the Highest, and the
Neap Tides the lowest; which proceeds from the greater Agitations of the
Waters, when the fluid _Spheroid_ revolves about a great Circle of the
Earth, than when it turns about in a lesser Circle; it being plain that
if the Moon were constituted in the Pole, and there stood, that the
_Spheroid_ would have a fix'd Position, and that it would be always high
Water under the Poles, and low Water every where under the Æquinoctial:
And therefore the nearer the Moon approaches the Poles, the less is the
agitation of the Ocean, which is of all the greatest, when the Moon is
in the Æquinoctial, or farthest distant from the Poles. Whence the Sun
and Moon, being either conjoined or opposite in the Æquinoctial, produce
the greatest Spring Tides; and the subsequent Neap Tides, being produc'd
by the Tropical Moon in the Quarters, are always the least Tides;
whereas in _June_ and _December_, the Spring Tides are made by the
Tropical Sun and Moon, and therefore less vigorous; and the Neap Tides
by the Æquinoctial Moon, which therefore are the stronger: Hence it
happens, that the difference between the Spring and Neap Tides in these
Months, is much less considerable than in _March_ and _September_. And
the reason why the very highest Spring Tides are found to be rather
before the Vernal and after the Autumnal Equinox, _viz._ in _February_
and _October_, than precisely upon them, is, because the Sun is nearer
the Earth in the Winter Months, and so comes to have a greater effect in
producing the Tides.
Hitherto we have consider'd such Affections of the Tides as are
Universal, without relation to particular Cases; what follows from the
differing Latitudes of places, will be easily understood by the
following Fig. (_Vide Fig. 2. Plate 1._)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account