A superior planet is
at opposition when it is on the opposite of the
Earth to the Sun (elongation = 180 degrees).
When a superior planet is on the far side of the sun at an elongation of 180 the planet is said to be at?
Superior planets can have elongations ranging from
0° to 180°
. With a 0° elongation a Superior planet is said to be in conjunction with the Sun and will have the same right ascension as the Sun. When a planet has an elongation of 180° it is at opposition with the Sun.
Which planets can be seen with an angle that is greater than 90 degrees away from the sun?
Venus
is the first “star” to pop out in the west after sunset. Because Venus orbits the sun inside the Earth’s orbit, Venus can never be opposite the sun in our sky. Nor can Venus be as much as 90 degrees away from the sun in our sky (like the moon at its first and last quarter phases).
Which of the following planets will never be seen at opposition 180 o from the sun in the sky from Earth?
Opposition and quadrature can happen only to solar system bodies that orbit the sun outside of Earth’s orbit. Planets that orbit the sun inside of Earth’s orbit (
Mercury and Venus
) can never reach opposition or quadrature. Instead, they always remain near the sun as seen from Earth.
What takes place when the Earth is between the sun and a superior planet?
An inferior conjunction
occurs when the planet lies between the Earth and the Sun. A superior conjunction occurs when the planet lies on the opposite side of the Sun to the Earth. Only inferior planets can be at inferior conjunction.
What is the synodic period of Venus?
It just so happens that the synodic period of Venus (
584 days
) relates to the orbital period of the earth (365 days) in a relatively simple ratio of 5:8.
What configuration is best to use for observing a superior planet?
The best configuration to observe a planet is when it is
at the greatest angular distance from the Sun
. This is Greatest Elongation for the inferior planets and Opposition for the superior planets.
Which planet is turned on its side with an axis tilt of 98 degrees?
While Earth’s axis is tilted about 23 degrees,
Uranus
tilts almost 98 degrees! Uranus’ axis is so tilted, it actually looks like the planet is rotating on its side.
What is the closest celestial body to our Earth?
Together with the Moon,
Venus and Mars
are the planets nearest to the Earth. All of these celestial bodies are continuously held captive to the sun by the effect of gravity; the bodies are continually forced to orbit the sun as the central body in elliptical orbits.
When Venus is at its brightest as seen from Earth near greatest elongation it is?
When Venus is at “greatest elongation,” farthest from the sun in our sky, as it was on November 1, we see it as a “
half Venus
.” When the passes between Earth and the sun, as it will on Jan. 11, called “inferior conjunction,” it is illuminated from behind, just like the new moon.
Which planet takes the longest time to orbit the Sun?
Given its distance from the Sun,
Neptune
has the longest orbital period of any planet in the Solar System. As such, a year on Neptune is the longest of any planet, lasting the equivalent of 164.8 years (or 60,182 Earth days).
What is the hottest planet?
Planetary surface temperatures tend to get colder the farther a planet is from the Sun.
Venus
is the exception, as its proximity to the Sun and dense atmosphere make it our solar system’s hottest planet.
Which planet moves the fastest?
Within our solar system,
Mercury
, the messenger of the gods, is the fastest-moving planet, with an orbital speed of about 48 kilometres per second; Earth manages only about 30 km/s.
Which is a best time to photograph a superior planet?
Some of the best times to see planets in the night sky occur
when they are at opposition
. During opposition the planet appears at its largest and brightest, and it is above the horizon for much of the night. For stargazers and astrophotographers, it’s an ideal time to view and photograph the superior planets.
Is Earth a superior planet?
The superior planets are those planets which
are further from the Sun than the Earth
, namely Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
When Venus is at superior conjunction it is group of answer choices?
Superior conjunction is when
Venus is on the opposite side of the sun as the earth
. GEE occurs when Venus is as far east of the sun on the ecliptic as it can get (90 degree angle).
