[i-fem-er-is] 
[ef-uh-mer-i-deez] . | 1. | a table showing the positions of a heavenly body on a number of dates in a regular sequence. |
| 2. | an astronomical almanac containing such tables. |
| 3. | Archaic. an almanac or calendar. |
meros; see ephemeral 
| e·phem·er·is (ĭ-fěm'ər-ĭs) n. pl. eph·e·mer·i·des (ěf'ə-měr'ə-dēz') A table giving the coordinates of a celestial body at a number of specific times during a given period. [Late Latin ephēmeris, from Greek, diary, from ephēmeros, daily; see ephemeral.] |
| ephemeris (ĭ-fěm'ər-ĭs) Pronunciation Key
Plural ephemerides (ěf'ə-měr'ə-dēz') A table giving the coordinates of a celestial body at specific times during a given period. Ephemerides can be used by navigators to determine their longitude while at sea and by astronomers in following objects such as comets. The use of computers has allowed modern ephemerides to determine celestial positions with far greater accuracy than in earlier publications. |