Note 61 — CHAP. XVI. The Phenomena of the Harvest-Moon explained by a common Globe: The years in which the Harvest-Moons are least and most beneficial from 1751, to 1861. The long duration of Moon-light at the Poles in winter.
Reading edition
The Ecliptic, together with the fixed Stars, make 3661⁄4 apparent diurnal revolutions about the Earth in a year; the Sun only 3651⁄4. Therefore the Stars gain 3 minutes 56 seconds upon the Sun every day: so that a Sidereal day contains only 23 hours 56 minutes of mean Solar time; and a natural or Solar day 24 hours. Hence 12 Sidereal hours are 1 minute 58 seconds shorter than 12 Solar.