वेदों की प्राचीनता एवं काल-निर्णय / ओरायन (लोकमान्य बाल गंगाधर तिलक - खगोलीय वैदिक शोध)

THE ARCTIC REGIONS. • 59
II. The Circum-Polar Characteristics.
(1) The sun will always be to the south of the zenith of the
observer; but as this. happens even in the case of an observer
stationed in the temperate zone, it cannot be regarded as a
special characteristic.
(2) A large number of stars are circum-polar, that is, they are
above the horizon during the entire period of their revolution and
hence always visible. The remaining stars rise and set, as in
the temperate zone, but revolve in more oblique circles.
(3) The year is made up of three parts:—(i) one long
continuous night, occurring at the time of the winter solstice, and
lasting for a period, greater than 24 hours and less than six months,
according to the latitude of the place; (ii) one long continuous day
to match, occurring at the time of the summer solstice; and (iii)
a succession of ordinary days and nights during the rest of the year,
a nycthemeron, or a day and a night together, never exceeding a
period of 24 hours. The day, after the long continuous night, is
at first shorter than the night, but it goes on increasing until it de-
velopes into the long continuous day. At the end of the long day,
the night is, at first, shorter than the day, but, in its turn, it begins
to gain over the day, until the commencement of the long
continuous night, with which the year ends.
(4) The dawn, at the close of the long continuous night, lasts
for several days, but its duration and magnificence is proportional-
ly less than at the North Pole, according to the latitude of the
place. For places, within a few degrees of the North Pole, the
phenomenon of revolving morning light will still be observable
during the greater part of the duration of the dawn. The other
dawns, viz., those between ordinary days and nights, will, like the
dawns in the temperate zone, only last for a few hours. The
sun, when he is above the horizon during the continuous day,