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ELONGATION

in astronomy, the angular distance between two points in the sky as measured from a third point. The elongation of a planet is usually measured as the angular distance from the sun to the planet as measured from the earth. When a planet lies on the line drawn from the earth to the sun, its elongation is 0° and is said to be in conjunction. When a planet's elongation is 90°, it is in quadrature. When its elongation is 180°, it is in opposition. Elongation is measured east (eastern quadrature) or west (western quadrature) from the sun. The superior planets can have elongations between 0° and 180°; the elongations of the inferior planets are limited by their proximity to the sun. The greatest elongation of Mercury is 28°, and of Venus, 47°.

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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

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Publication Information: Encyclopedia Article Title: Elongation. Encyclopedia Title: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Publisher: Columbia University Press. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 2004.
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