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In astronomy, a planet's elongation is the angular separation between the Sun and the planet, with Earth as the reference point. [ 1 ] The greatest elongation is the maximum angular separation.
Elongation may refer to: Elongation (astronomy) Elongation (geometry) Elongation (plasma physics) Part of transcription of DNA into RNA of all types, including mRNA, tRNA, rRNA, etc. Part of translation (biology) of mRNA into proteins; Elongated organisms; Elongation (mechanics), linear deformation
This glossary of astronomy is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to astronomy and cosmology, their sub-disciplines, and related fields. Astronomy is concerned with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth. The field of astronomy features an extensive vocabulary and a ...
Diagram showing the eastern and western quadratures of a superior planet like Mars. In spherical astronomy, quadrature is the configuration of a celestial object in which its elongation is a right angle (90 degrees), i.e., the direction of the object as viewed from Earth is perpendicular to the position of the Sun relative to Earth.
This assures of bounded elongation. [40] Bounded elongation is the angular distance of celestial bodies from the center of the universe. Ptolemy's model of the cosmos and his studies landed him an important place in history in the development of modern-day science.
In observational astronomy, culmination is the passage of a celestial object (such as the Sun, the Moon, a planet, a star, constellation or a deep-sky object) across the observer's local meridian. [1] These events are also known as meridian transits, used in timekeeping and navigation, and measured precisely using a transit telescope.
In astronomy, it is typically difficult to directly measure the distance to an object, yet the object may have a known physical size (perhaps it is similar to a closer object with known distance) and a measurable angular diameter. In that case, the angular diameter formula can be inverted to yield the angular diameter distance to distant objects as
The cosmic distance ladder (also known as the extragalactic distance scale) is the succession of methods by which astronomers determine the distances to celestial objects.