inferior planet
inferior planet, planet whose orbit lies inside that of the earth. There are two inferior planets, Mercury and Venus. They always seem to be close to the sun in the sky; the greatest elongation of Mercury is 28°, and that of Venus, 47°. For this reason, neither can be seen for more than two or three hours after sunset or before sunrise.
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aphelion , a·phe·li·on / əˈfēlyən; əˈfēlēən/ • n. (pl. a·phe·li·a / əfēlyə; əˈfēlēə/ or a·phe·li·ons) Astron. the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or c… Perihelion , per·i·he·li·on / ˌperəˈhēlyən; -ˈhēlēən/ • n. (pl. -he·li·a / -ˈhēlyə; -ˈhēlēə/ or -he·li·ons) Astron. the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid,… Nicholas Copernicus , Copernicus, Nicholas
Copernicus, Nicholas
astronomy
The founder of modern astronomy lost his father in 1483, when he was only a little more than ten… Solstice , Solstice, in astronomy, refers to the two points in the ecliptic for which the sun is the farthest distance from the celestial equator. Thus, it also… Equinox , Equinox
The Latin meaning of the word “equinox” is “equal night,” referring to those two moments in the year when day and night are equal in length.… midnight sun , mid·night sun • n. the sun when seen at midnight during the summer in either the Arctic or Antarctic Circle.
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inferior planet