next night at her rising they found her different about one degree

Categories: Personification

An example of personification of the moon in historic science wrtiing,

"& soone after by compareing the motion of the moone observed when full neare any bright fixed star whilest shee appeared above the earth in one night, with her apparent distance from it next night at her riseing they found her different of aspect about one degre[e] & conseqeuntly her distance from the Earth. to be about 60 of its semidiameters."

John Flamsteed (1975) Lecture 2, 4 May 1681, in The Gresham Lectures of John Flamsteed (Editor: Eric G. Forbes), London: Mansell Information Publishing Ltd.

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Many examples of personification are included in 'Creative comparisons: Making science familiar through language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.

Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.