Why as to that, you and I might measure it some evening by the stars.
You know that the great space between the Belt and Polar Star is
one-quarter of the great circle of the heavens.
Of course.
Every circle is reckoned to be divided into spaces called degrees, of
which 360 go to form the circumference; so that one-fourth will be
ninety degrees. You can imagine that space divided into ninety of these
portions, called degrees.
What rare compasses that would take!
Those two bright stars overhead, which are about twice the same
distance apart as the apparent diameter of the Sun, would be nearly
equal to one of these ninety portions. Now, you know that if you were
at the pole, you would have the Polar Star above you; and, if at the
equator, Orion’s Belt would be over your head.