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

58 THE ARCTIC HOME IN THE VEDAS. stated, different climatic conditions prevailed in early times, and we cannot, therefore, include climate amongst the points of contrast under consideration. It will be seen from the foregoing discussion that we have two distinct sets of characteristics, or differentia; one for an observer stationed exactly at the terrestrial North Pole, and the other for an observer located in the Circum-Polar regions, or tracts of land between the North Pole and the Arctic circle. For brevity's sake, we shall designate these two sets of differentia as Polar and Circum-Polar, and sum them up as follows:— I. The Polar Characteristics. (1) The sun rises in the south. (2) The stars do not rise and set ; but revolve, or spin round and round, in horizontal planes, completing one round in 24 hours. The northern celestial hemisphere is alone over-head and visible during the whole year; and the southern or the lower celestial world is always invisible. (3) The year consists only of one long day and one long night of six months each. (4) There is only one morning and one evening, or the sun rises and sets only once a year. But the twilight, whether of the morning or of the evening, lasts continuously for about two months, or 60 periods of 24 hours each. The ruddy light of the morn, or the evening twilight, is not again confined to a particular part of the horizon (eastern or western) as with us ; but moves, like the stars at the place, round and round along the horizon, like a potter's wheel, completing one round in every 24 hours. These rounds of the morning light continue to take place, until the orb of the sun comes above the horizon; and then the sun follows the same course for six months, that is, moves, without setting, round and round the observer, completing one round every 24 hours.