ELONGATION

, in Astronomy, the distance of a planet from the sun, with respect to the earth; or the angle formed by two lines drawn from the earth, the one to the sun, and the other to the planet; or the arc measuring that angle: Or it is the difference between the sun's place and the geocentric place of the planet.

The Greatest Elongation, is the greatest distance to which the planets recede from the sun, on either side. This is chiefly considered in the inferior planets, Venus and Mercury; the Greatest Elongation of Venus being about 48 degrees, and of Mercury only about 28 degrees; which is the reason that this planet is so rarely seen, being usually lost in the light of the sun.

EMBER-Days, are certain days observed by the church at four different seasons of the year; viz, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday next after Quadragesima Sunday, or the 1st Sunday in Lent; after Whitsunday; after Holyrood, or Holycross, the 14th day of September; and after St. Lucy, the 13th day of December. The name, it seems, is derived from Embers, or ashes, which it is supposed were strewed on the head, on these solemn fasts.

Ember-Weeks, are those weeks in which the Emberdays fall. These Ember-weeks are now chiefly noticed on account of the ordination of priests and deacons; because the canon appoints the Sundays next after the Ember-weeks for the solemn times of ordination; though the bishops, if they please, may ordain on any Sunday or holiday.

EMBOLIMÆAN, and Embolismic, Intercalary, is chiefly used in speaking of the additional months inserted by chronologists to form the lunar cycle of 19 years.

The 19 solar years consisting of 6939 days and 18 hours, and the 19 lunar years only making 6726 days, it was found necessary to intercalate or insert 7 lunar months, containing 209 days; which, with the 4 bissextile days happening in the lunar cycle, make 213 days, and the whole 6939 days, the same as the 19 solar years, which make the lunar cycle.

In the course of 19 years there are 228 common moons, and 7 Embolismic moons, which are distributed in this manner, viz, the 3d, 6th, 9th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years, are Embolismic, and so contain 384 days each. And this was the method of computing time among the Greeks: though they did not keep regularly to it, as it seems the Jews did. And the method of the Greeks was followed by the Romans till the time of Julius Cæsar.

The Embolismic months, like other lunar months, are sometimes of 30 days, and sometimes only 29 days.

The Embolismic Epacts are those between 19 and 29; which are so called, because, with the addition of the epact 11, they exceed the number 30: or rather, because the years which have these epacts, are Embolismic; having 13 moons each, the 13th being the Embolismic.