1. Note that an inferior planet can never be at quadrature to the reference planet. 2. Mercury-huggers never would, and share the inferior planet 's observation difficulties. 3. In our case, Venus and Mercury are inferior planets , see Inferior and superior planets. 4. Maybe someone knows the answer to a simplier version-when is the inferior planet the brightest? 5. Suppose you have in inferior planet like Venus. 6. When an inferior planet is visible before sunrise, it is near its "'greatest western elongation " '. 7. When an inferior planet is visible after sunset, it is near its "'greatest eastern elongation " '. 8. The inferior planet mechanism includes the sun ( treated as a planet in this context ), Mercury, and Venus. 9. The inferior planets were always observed to be near the sun, appearing only shortly before sunrise or shortly after sunset. 10. By the time " The Descendant " was in print, Glasgow had finished " Phases of an Inferior Planet ".