ELONGATION
Elongation, in astrological parlance, is the maximum angular distance that Mercury
and Venus travel from the Sun. Because the orbits of Mercury and Venus lie between
Earth and the Sun, these two planets appear to always travel with the Sun, so that,
from the position of Earth, Mercury is always within 28° of the Sun, and Venus always
within 46°. Elongation also refers to the maximum apparent distance that a satellite
travels from the body around which it moves (e.g., the maximum distance the Moon
travels from Earth).
ELPIS
Elpis, asteroid 59 (the 59th asteroid to be discovered, on September 12, 1860), is
approximately 164 kilometers in diameter and has an orbital period of 4.5 years. It was
named after the Greek word for hope. The house and sign positions of Elpis in a natal
chart indicate sources of hope as well as the area of life where the native invests her or
his hopes. When prominent in a chart, Elpis may show a generally hopeful person.
When afflicted, it may show disappointment or lack of hope.
Sources:
Kowal, Charles T. Asteroids: Their Nature and Utilization.Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Ellis
Horwood Limited, 1988.
Room, Adrian. Dictionary of Astronomical Names.London: Routledge, 1988.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia.St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.
EPHEMERALMAP
The ephemeral map is the astrological chart cast in horary astrology for the event in
question.
EPHEMERALMOTION
Ephemeral motion refers to the motion of the planets and other celestial bodies along
their orbits, as distinct from progressed motion.
EPHEMERIS
An ephemeris (pl.,ephemerides) is an astronomical/astrological almanac listing the
daily positions of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets, as well as other information,
including, in astrological ephemerides, certain information necessary for calculating
an astrological chart. The word is derived from the Greek ephemeros,meaning “exist-
ing no longer than a day,” from which the word “ephemeral” is also derived.
The use of such tables is very old, and ephemerides are used by navigators,
astronomers, and astrologers. During the nineteenth century and the early twentieth
century, most of the readily available ephemerides listed planetary positions for noon at
Greenwich, England (0° longitude). By the late twentieth century, however, ephe-
THEASTROLOGYBOOK [221]
Ephemeris