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May be we must pull in "Myths transformed" hear?
The timeline with about 590 years for the first age is clearly based on the untransformed myth. Were the first age begins with the first raising of the sun. (this myth you can find in "The Silmarillion" and a fuller timeline is given in "The History of Middle-Earth": volume 11: "The war of Jewels")
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Please provide a citation from JRRT stating that the First Age began with the (mytholgical) first rising of the sun when the Noldor came back into Beleriand.
The Letter noting the "long First Age" (#131) is from 1951, and the cited passage from PoME noting for exampe that the First Age was the longest are likely from about 1954 or perhaps a little earlier. This is before the Myths Transformed writings which are from the late 1950's.
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In "Myths Transformed" ("The Histairy of Middle-Earth"; volume 10: "Morgoth's Ring") Tolkien changed his mind about the timeline and astronomy of Middle-Earth greatly.
So it might be that the first age of that transformed Myth would start with the awakening of the children of Ilúvatar. But we do not know because Tokien hadn't left a timeline for that myth.
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This would make the 'astronomy' consistant with LotR which has a sun and moon existing well before the return of the Noldor to Middle-earth.
[ February 18, 2003: Message edited by: Tar Elenion ]