Inferior and Superior Planets

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) currently recognizes eight planets orbiting the Sun in our Solar System.The two planets closer to the Sun than the Earth are called the Inferior Planets, and are, in order of increasing distance from the Sun, Mercury and Venus. The five planets farther away from the Sun than the Earth are called the Superior Planets, and are, in order of increasing distance from the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.Inferior Planets cannot cross the entire night time sky, and are only seen in the early evening and early morning hours, up to maximum angles off the western and eastern horizons. For Venus, the maximum angle varies, but is at most about 47 degrees. For Mercury, the maximum angle varies, but is at most about 28 degrees. We see the Inferior Planets either in the morning or the evening. In ancient times, Venus was known as both the evening star and the morning star, and was considered two different celestial bodies. A mythological name for Venus as the evening star is Hesperus. A mythological name for Venus as the morning star is Lucifer.