elongation | space-encyclopedia

Space Travel

19, May, 2012

Space exploration began with the launch of Sputnik and Astrophysics was born as the application of physics to the phenomena observed by Astronomy, which etymologically means laws of the stars.

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Term	Definition
Elongation	The angular distance between the Sun and a planet or the Moon as viewed from the Earth, i.e. the angle Sun-Earth-Moon/planet. For the inferior planets, Mercury and Venus, elongation is restricted to a limited range. The maximum values, east and west, reached during each orbit are called greatest elongation. The greatest elongation for Mercury lies between 18° and 28° according to circumstances; the equivalent range for Venus is 45°-47°. Any elongation is possible for the planets further from the Sun than the Earth. An elongation of 90° is called quadrature, of 0° conjunction and of 180° opposition.

Term

Definition

Elongation

The angular distance between the Sun and a planet or the Moon as viewed from the Earth, i.e. the angle Sun-Earth-Moon/planet. For the inferior planets, Mercury and Venus, elongation is restricted to a limited range. The maximum values, east and west, reached during each orbit are called greatest elongation. The greatest elongation for Mercury lies between 18° and 28° according to circumstances; the equivalent range for Venus is 45°-47°. Any elongation is possible for the planets further from the Sun than the Earth. An elongation of 90° is called quadrature, of 0° conjunction and of 180° opposition.