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Updated: June 18, 2025
After the discoveries that a lunation occupies nearly thirty days, and that some twelve lunations occupy a year discoveries of which there is no historical account, but which may be inferred as the earliest, from the fact that existing uncivilised races have made them we come to the first known astronomical records, which are those of eclipses. The Chaldeans were able to predict these.
And as other fevers terminate most frequently about the seventh, fourteenth, twenty-first, or about the end of four weeks, when no medical assistance has disturbed their periods, I conclude, that these crises, or terminations, are governed by periods of the lunations; though we are still ignorant of their manner of operation.
The attack of palsy and apoplexy are known to recur with great frequency about the equinoxes. There are numerous instances of the effect of the lunations upon the periods of insanity, whence the name of lunatic has been given to those afflicted with this disease.
Melon's system divided the 235 lunations into months of thirty days and omitted every sixty-third day. Of the nineteen years, twelve had twelve months and seven had thirteen months. This was more correct. He made astronomical observations in Asia Minor, Sicily, and Italy, and described the starry heavens divided into constellations.
This is not the same as the Egyptian and Chaldean eclipse cycle called Saros of 223 lunations, or a little over eighteen years. The Metonic cycle is 235 lunations or nineteen years, after which period the sun and moon occupy the same position relative to the stars. It is still used for fixing the date of Easter, the number of the year in Melon's cycle being the golden number of our prayer-books.
That learned man who reciteth it to Brahmanas during the sacred lunations, becometh cleansed of all sins, and, not caring for heaven as it were, attaineth to a union with Brahma.
If he is entertained with food, Indra himself conferreth on the best merit that is inexhaustible. As men cross seas by vessels, so are the givers mentioned above are saved from all their sins. So what is given unto Brahmanas produceth, like gift of curds, inexhaustible merits. A gift on particular lunations produceth merit that is twice as much as a gift on other days.
The area, in fact, thus brought into view, or taken out of it, is between 1/12th and 1/13th of the entire area of the moon, or about the 1/6th part of the hemisphere turned away from the earth. It is convenient to bear in mind that we see an object under nearly the same conditions every 59 d. 1 h. 28 m., or still more accurately, after the lapse of fifteen lunations, or 442 d. 23 h.
At the time of new moon the sun illuminates the face of the moon turned from us; at the time of full moon he illuminates the face which has been gradually brought round to him as the moon has passed through her first two quarters. As she passes onwards to new moon again, the face we see is gradually turned from him until he shines full upon the other face. And so on during successive lunations.
The spacious level and unclouded horizon of Chaldea afforded peculiar facilities of observation; and its pastoral and contemplative inhabitants, uncontaminated by the vices and superstitions of subsequent ages, active-minded and fresh, discovered, after a long observation of eclipses some say extending over nineteen centuries the cycle of two hundred and twenty-three lunations, which brings back the eclipses in the same order.
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