superior conjunction

American  

[suh-peer-ee-er kuhn-juhngk-shuhn, soo‐] / səˈpɪər i ər kənˈdʒʌŋk ʃən, sʊ‐ /

noun

Astronomy.

1. the alignment of an inferior planet and the sun in which the planet is at the far side of the sun from the earth.

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superior conjunction Scientific  

/ s-pîr′ē-ər /

1. See under conjunction

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Etymology

Origin of superior conjunction

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

The effervescent Venus reached superior conjunction Aug. 14 and will emerge from the sun’s glare later in September, low in the evening’s western sky.

From Washington Post • Aug. 31, 2019

By convention, it refers to the projected semi-major axis that corresponds to superior conjunction.

From Nature • Apr. 4, 2014

For their story, Cahill and Marling borrow from the idea of superior conjunction, positing that the planet was previously hidden behind the sun.

From Scientific American • Feb. 16, 2011

Venus passes her superior conjunction on the 7th, at 10 h. morning, thenceforward she sets after the sun, and becomes an evening star.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 10, No. 276, October 6, 1827 by Various

Venus is thus Hesperus or Vesper, the evening star, when following the sun as she passes from beyond him in superior conjunction to inferior conjunction where she is nearest to the earth.

From Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20) Wonders of Earth, Sea and Sky by Holden, Edward Singleton