PLACE

PLACE, in Astronomy. The place of the sun, a planet, or a star, denotes the sign and degree of the zodiac which the luminary is in; or the degree of the ecliptic, reckoning from the beginning of Aries, which the planet's or star's circle of longitude cuts; and therefore coincides with the longitude of the sun, planet, or star. As the sine of the sun's greatest declination, $23^\{\backslash circ\}\; 30\text{'}$, is to the sine of any present declination given or observed, for instance, $23^\{\backslash circ\}\; 15\text{'}$; so is the radius 10 to the sine of its longitude, $81^\{\backslash circ\}\; 52\text{'}$; which, if the declination were north, would give $20^\{\backslash circ\}\; 52\text{'}$ of Gemini, or, if south, $20^\{\backslash circ\}\; 52\text{'}$ of Capricorn, for the sun's place.