superior planet
superior planet — 名詞
1. In astronomy, a planet whose orbit around the Sun is farther from the Sun than E
外行星
軌道在地球以外的行星
In astronomy, a planet whose orbit around the Sun is farther from the Sun than Earth's own orbital path; in our solar system, the five superior planets are Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Mars is a superior planet: its orbit around the Sun lies farther out than Earth's.
火星是外行星：它繞太陽的軌道比地球更靠外側。
be classified as a superior planet
Superior planets are visible at any night hour, unlike inferior planets which stay close to the Sun.
外行星在夜間任何時段都可見，不像內行星那樣總在太陽附近。
contrast with inferior planet
Quan studied how the brightness of superior planets changes depending on their distance from Earth.
Quan 研究了外行星的亮度如何根據它們與地球的距離而變化。
Jupiter, the largest superior planet, is clearest when it reaches opposition to the Sun.
木星是最大的外行星，當它運行到與太陽衝的位置時最清晰可見。
- outer planet
Often used interchangeably in casual contexts, but technically 'outer planet' usually excludes Mars and refers only to the gas and ice giants beyond the asteroid belt.
- inferior planet
A planet whose orbit lies inside Earth's orbit — Mercury and Venus are the only inferior planets in our solar system.
文法句型
be classified as a superior planet
superior planet + verb (orbits, appears)
用法筆記
The word 'superior' here means 'farther from the Sun' (not 'better'). This term is mainly used when comparing planetary visibility or orbital positions. The opposite term is 'inferior planet' (Mercury and Venus). Among amateur astronomers, the phrase is less common than simply naming the planet, but it appears regularly in textbooks and exam questions about the solar system.