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As seen from a planet that is superior, if an inferior planet is on the opposite side of the Sun, it is in superior conjunction with the Sun. An inferior conjunction occurs when the two planets lie in a line on the same side of the Sun. In an inferior conjunction, the superior planet is "in opposition" to the Sun as seen from the inferior planet.
Seen from a superior planet, an inferior planet on the opposite side of the Sun is in superior conjunction with the Sun. An inferior conjunction occurs when the two planets align on the same side of the Sun. At inferior conjunction, the superior planet is "in opposition" to the Sun as seen from the inferior planet (see the diagram).
Conjunction of Mercury and Venus, appearing above the Moon, at the Paranal Observatory. This is a list of the Solar System's recent planetary conjunctions (in other words, when two planets look close together) for the period 2005–2020.
This is because the Sun acts as a large electromagnetic noise generator which creates a signal much stronger than the satellite's tracking signal. [ citation needed ] One example of limitations caused by the solar conjunction occurred when the NASA - JPL team put the Curiosity rover on Mars' surface in autonomous operation mode for 25 days ...
When the geocentric ecliptic longitude of Venus coincides with that of the Sun, it is in conjunction with the Sun – inferior if Venus is nearer and superior if farther. . The distance between Venus and Earth varies from about 42 million km (at inferior conjunction) to about 258 million km (at superior conjuncti
"Inferior planet" refers to Mercury and Venus, which are closer to the Sun than Earth is. "Superior planet" refers to Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (the latter two added later), which are further from the Sun than Earth is. The terms are sometimes used more generally; for example, Earth is an inferior planet relative to Mars.
The apparent brightness of Mercury as seen from Earth is greatest at phase angle 0° (superior conjunction with the Sun) when it can reach magnitude −2.6. [14] At phase angles approaching 180° (inferior conjunction) the planet fades to about magnitude +5 [14] with the exact brightness depending on the phase angle at that particular ...
Superior planets, dwarf planets and asteroids undergo a different cycle. After conjunction, such an object's elongation continues to increase until it approaches a maximum value larger than 90° (impossible with inferior planets) which is known as opposition and can also be examined as a heliocentric conjunction with Earth. This is archetypally ...