superior conjunction

[ suh-peer-ee-er kuhn-juhngk-shuhn, soo‐ ]

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.

superior conjunction

/ s-pîr′ē-ər /

1. See under conjunction

Word History and Origins

Origin of superior conjunction¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

It passes behind the sun on the far side of its orbit—reaching superior conjunction—and then continues on until it’s as far east as it gets: the point of greatest eastern elongation.

From Scientific American

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

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

From Nature

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

At superior conjunction it ought, being then farthest away, to show the smallest disc; while at inferior conjunction, being the nearest, it should look much larger.

From Project Gutenberg