My trick is: offset the ellipse, draw a line from the point with snap perpendicular to the second ellipse, draw a line from anywhere with snap perp to this line and then move the last line to the point on ellipse.
Not very elegant but as Orwell says,
It is easier -- even quicker, once you have the habit --to say
"In my opinion it is not an unjustifiable assumption that"
rather than to say
"I think"
Take care