Book 20
3.1
At that same time, throughout the regions of the East the heaven was seen to be overcast with dark mist, through which the stars were visible continually from the first break of day until noon. It was an additional cause of terror when the light of heaven was hidden and its orb removed utterly from the sight of the world, that the timorous minds of men thought that the darkening of the sun lasted too long;I.e. that the sun had disappeared for good and all. but it thinned out at first into the form of the crescent moon, then growing to the shape of the half-moon, and was finally fully restored.
3.2
This phenomenon never takes place so clearly as when the moon, after its shifting courses,See note 2, p. 10, § 4, below. brings back its monthly journey to the same starting-point after fixed intervals of time; that is to say, when the entire moon,I.e. the full moon; cf. § 7, below. in the abode of the same sign of the zodiac, is found in a perfectly straight line directly under the sun, and for a brief time stands still in the minute points which the science of geometry calls parts of parts.I.e. parts of degrees, or minutes; cf. Pliny, N.H. ii. 48, scripulis partium.
