inferior planet

[ in-feer-ee-er plan-it ]

nounAstronomy.
  1. (relative to Earth) either of the two planets whose orbits are closer to the sun, namely, Venus and Mercury.

  2. (relative to a given planet) any planet whose orbit is closer to the sun: From the perspective of Jupiter, Earth is an inferior planet.

Origin of inferior planet

1
First recorded in 1715–20

Words Nearby inferior planet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use inferior planet in a sentence

  • The same thing for an inferior planet, say Mercury, is even still more easily seen (vide figure 13).

    Pioneers of Science | Oliver Lodge
  • Sterne anticipated this paradoxist in (jestingly) attributing glassiness to an inferior planet.

    Myths and Marvels of Astronomy | Richard A. Proctor
  • Unquestionably a sun-spot had been seen by earlier observers, and by them mistaken for the transit of an inferior planet.

  • The first person known to have observed a transit of an inferior planet was the celebrated French philosopher, Gassendi.

    Astronomy of To-day | Cecil G. Dolmage
  • When the inferior planet is on the far side of the sun from us, it is said to be in Superior Conjunction.

    Astronomy of To-day | Cecil G. Dolmage

British Dictionary definitions for inferior planet

inferior planet

noun
  1. either of the planets Mercury and Venus, whose orbits lie inside that of the earth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for inferior planet

inferior planet

  1. Either of the planets Mercury or Venus, whose orbits lie between Earth and the Sun. Because these planets lie in the general direction of the Sun, they can only be seen a few hours before sunrise or after sunset and are always positioned relatively near the horizon, never overhead. Inferior planets go through a complete cycle of phases as viewed from Earth, although their full phase, which occurs on the far side of the Sun, is lost in its glare. Compare superior planet. See also inner planet.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.