( 148)


This is otherwife called the northern NMdEW  and repre-
fented by this Charaaer 0. See NODE, &y.
ASCENDING, AfCendens, in Matters of Genealogy, 0)c.
See ASCENDENT.
ASCENDING SigIns, among Aflrologers, are thofe which
are upon their Aftent or Rife; fromt the Nadir or lowell
Part of the Heavens, to the Zenith or higheir. See SIGN,
ZENITH, NADIR, &C.
ASCEN:DING, in Anatomy, is opplied to ruch Veftels as
carry the Blood upwards, or from lower to higher Parts of
the Body. See BLOOD and VESSEL.
The A4fcending Aorta, Aorta afcendcns, is the fuperior
Trunk of the Artery, which furnishes the Head.  See
AORTA.
The afrcending Cava, Vena Cave Afcendens, is a large
Vein form'd by a Meeting or Union ofthe two Iliacks of
one Side, with thofe of the other. See CAVA.
Many of the antient Anatomifis, call'4 this the defcending
Cava 5 as imagining that the Blood defcended from the Li-
ver by this Vein, to fupply the Parts below the Diaphragm.
But the Moderns have 1hewn that it has a quite contrary
IUfe, and ferves for the Conveyance of the Blood from the
lower Parts to the Head; whence its Appellation Afeen-
dent.
- ASCENSION, AscENsio, a rifing, or moving utpwards.
See ASCENT, ASCENDANT, ASCENDING, S.èC.
ASCENSION is particularly ufed for that miracJous Ele-
vation of our Saviour, when he mounted to Heaven in the
Sight of his Apoftles.-
Hence alfo, AsCENsIoN-Day, a Peflival of the Church,
held ten Days before Whituontide, in Memocy of our Sa-
viour's Afcenfion. See FEAST.
ASCENSION, in Aflronomy, is either right or oblique.
Right ASCENSION. See RIGHT dfcen/Zor.
To find the Right Afeenfions of the Sun, Stars, &c. tri-
gonometrically, fay, as Radius is to the Cofine of the Sun's
greatefi Declination, fo is the Tangent of the Diflance from
Aries or Libra, to the Tangent of Right-Afcenfion.
To find the Right- yfcenfions mechanically by the Globe.
See GLOBE.
gle -Arch of Right-Afcenfion, is that Portion of the Equa-
ter ihtercepted between the beginning of Aries, and the
Point of the Equator which is in the Meridian: Or it is the
Number of Degrees contained therein.-This coincides with
the Right-Afcenfion it felf.-The Right-Afcenfioq is the
fame in all Parts of the Globe.
We fometimes alfo fay, the Right-4fcenfozon of a Point
of the Ecliptic, or any other Point of the Heavens.  See
DESCENSION.
Oblique ASCENSION. See OBLIQUE Afcenrzon.
To find the Oblique Afeenfions of the Sun, either trigo-
nometrically, or by the Globe. Sce ASCENSIONAL Diffe-
rence, and GLOBE.
T'he ,drch of Oblique-Afcenfion, is an Arch of the Hori-
zon intercepted between the beginning of Aries, and the
Point of the Equator which rifes with a Star or Planet in
an Oblique Sphere.-This coincides with the Oblique ,4f-
ccn/Zon it felf.-The Oblique Afcanfzons change according to
the Latitude of the Places.
The Difference between the Right and Oblique Afcen-
fions, is called the afcenfional Difference.  See ASCEN-
SIONAL.
ASCENSION KL Difference, is the Difference between the
Right and Oblique cfenfzon. See ASCENSION.
Or it is the Space of Time which the Sun rifes or fets before
or after fix of the Clock.
To find the Afcenfional Difference trigonometrically, ha-
ving the Latitude of thb Place, and the Sun's Declination
given; fay, As the Co-Tangent of the Latitude, is to the
Tangent of the Sun's Declination, fo is the Radius it the
Sine of the Afeenfional Difference.
For Example, fuppofe the Latitude be 510. 30. and the
Sun's Declination 9  00'.
Then, to the Ar-co. of the Co-l      30 ,
Tangent of   -.    _     _    X         30-  0-099395
Add the Tangent of       -       90. 00. 9,1997I±
.~~~~ _, 9;991


Sum is the Sine, of


-     -    110 . 29'-9,299107


which is the afcenfional Difference required; and being re-
-duced into Time, by allowing four Minutes of an Hour for
every Degree, it will be 44. 79".  See TIME.
If the Sun be in any of the northern Signs, and the af-
cenirzonal Difference, as D 0, be fubflraaed from the Right
Afcenfion D, in Vb. Oh fironomny, Fig. 63. the Remainder
will be the Oblique Atcc;nrdn 0.If' he be in a fouthern
Sign, the afcetifzonal Difference being added to the Right
Afcenfzofo, the Sum is the Oblique Afcen./on; and thus may
Tables of Obliquefcie; fons be conflruded f.or the feveral
D~egrees of the Ecliptic kunder the -feveral Elevations of
th Ple. See T-ADLE.i         X


ASCENSORIUM       occurs in our aentient Writer r  *
Stair or Step. See STAIR.
ASCENT, ASCENSvS, the Motion of a Body tending
from below upwards. See MTtION.
In this Sene the Word fands oppofed to Deicen  See
DESCENT.
The Peripatetjcks attribute the fpontaneous Ie  of Bo-
dies, to a Principle of Levity inherent in them. See LEvITY.
The Moderns deny any fuch Thing as fpontaneous Levity,
and Ihew that whatever afcends, does it in virtue offome ex-
ternal Impulfe or Extrufior. Thus it is that Smoak, and other
rare Bodies, afcend in Atmofphere- and Oil, light Woods,
Lec. in Water: Not by any external Winciple of Levity, but
by the fuperior Gravity or Tendency downwards of the Parts
of the Medium wherein they are. See GRAVITY, MEDIUM,
ATMOSPHERE, Eeii4
The Afeent of light Bodies in heavy Mediums is pro-
duced after the fame manner as the A-ftcit of the lighter
Scale of a Ballance.-It is not that fuch Scale has an inter-
nal Principle whereby it immediately-tends upwards; but
it is impelled upwards by the Preponderancy of the other
Scale; the Excefs of the Weight-of the one having the fame
E~fleL by augmenting its Impetus downwards as fo much
real Levity in the other: By reafon the Tendencies mutually
oppofe each other.-See this further illuf rated tunder the
Articles SPECIFIC Gravite, FLUIDS, HYDROSTATICAL Bat-
lance, &c.
ASCENT of Bodies on inclined Tlanes. See the Dodrine
and Laws thereof, under the Article Iclined PLANE.
ASCENT of Fluids, is particularly underflood of their ri-
fing. above their own Level between the Surfaces of nearly
contiguous Bodies, or in flender capillary Glafs Tubes, or
in Vefels filled with Sand, Allies, or the like porous Sub-
fiance. See 1LUI D.
This Ef ffe happens as well in vaccuo as in the open
Air, antd in crooked as well as firait Tubes.- Some Li-
quors, as Spirit of Wine, and Oil of Turpentine, afcend
fivifter than others; and fome rife after a different manner
from' others. Mercury does not afcend at all, but rather
fubfides.
The Phalnomenon, with its Caufes, Tc. in the Inflance
of Capillary Tubes, will be fpoke of more at large under
the Article CAPILLARY 5T0be.
As to Planes-Two fmooth polilhed Plates of Glafs, Me-
tal, Stone, or other Matter, being fo difpofed as to be al-
mofi contiguous, have the Effe& of feveral parallel capil-
lary Tubes; and the Fluid rifes in them accordingly, the
like may be faid of a Vefel fill'd with Sand, Wc. the divers
little Interflices whereof form, as it were, a kind of Ca-
pillary Tubes. So' that the fame Principle accounts for the
Appearance in them all. And to the fame may probably
be afcribed the sfcent of the Sap in Vegetables. See VE-
GETABLE and VEGETATION.
Thus Sir I. Newton-' If a large Pipe of Glafs be filled
with fifted Aflies well preffed together, and one End dip-
ped into flagnant Water, the Fluid will afeend flowly in
the Allies, fo as in the Space of a Week or Fortnight, to
reach the Height of 30 or 40 Inches above the flagnant
Water. This Wfcent is wholly owing to the Affion of
thofe Particles of the Allies which are upon the Surface of
the elevated Water; thofe within the Water attraffing as
much downwards as upwards: It follows, that the Acion
of fuch Particles is very firong; tho' being lefs denfe and
' clofe than thofe of Glafs, their Affion is not equal to that of
Glafs, which keeps Quickfilver fufpended to the Height
of 6o or 7o Inches, and therefore a~ts with a Force which
' would keep Water fufpended to the Height of above 6o
Feet.-By the fame Principle, a Sponge fucks in Water,
and the Glands in the Bodies of Animals, according' to
their feveral Natures and Difpofitions, imbibe various
' Juices from the Blood.' Opticks, p. 367.
If a Drop of Oil, Water, or other Fluid, be laid on a
Glafs Plane perpendicular to the Horizon, fo as to Rand
without breaking or running off; and another Plane inclin-
ed to the former, fo as to meet a-top, be brought to touch
the Drop; then will the Drop break, and afcend towards
the touching End of the Planes: And it will afcend the fa-
fler in proportion as it is higher, by reafon the Diflance be-
tween the Planes is conflantly diminifhing.-Afrer the fame
manner, the Drop may be brought to any part of the Planes
either upward or downward, or fideways, by altering the
Angle of Inclination.>
Lafily, if the fame perpendicular Planes be fo placed, as
that two of their Sides meet and form a fmall Angle, the
other two being only -kept a-part by the Interpoftion o
fome thin Body; and thus immerged in a Fluid tinged
with fome Colour: The Fluid will afcend between the Plane;
and this the highefl where the Planes are nearef ; fo as to
form a Curve Line, which is found to be a jufi HYPerbola
one of the Afymprotes whereof is the Line of the Fluid,
the other being a Line drawn alon the touching Sids.-
. . zD \ . .The


-AS


ISI