Note 3 — CHAP. II. A brief Description of the Solar System.

Astronomers are not far from the truth, when they reckon the Sun’s center the lower focus of all the Planetary Orbits. Though strictly speaking, if we consider the focus of Mercury’s Orbit to be in the Sun’s center, the focus of Venus’s Orbit will be in the common center of gravity of the Sun and Mercury; the focus of the Earth’s Orbit in the common center of gravity of the Sun, Mercury, and Venus; the focus of the Orbit of Mars in the common center of gravity of the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and the Earth; and so of the rest. Yet, the focuses of the Orbits of all the Planets, except Saturn, will not be sensibly removed from the center of the Sun; nor will the focus of Saturn’s Orbit recede sensibly from the common center of gravity of the Sun and Jupiter.