inner planet
noun
: any of the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars whose orbits are within the asteroid belt
Examples of inner planet in a Sentence
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Venus and Mercury, which orbit close to the sun, can only ever be seen close to sunrise or sunset, which is why planet arcs always happen just before sunrise or just after sunset, when one or both of the inner planets are visible.
—
Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
If our sun were replaced with Betelgeuse, the star would not only engulf Earth and all the inner planets but reach past the orbit of Jupiter, according to NASA.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 July 2025
Evidence that rocky planets beyond Jupiter formed as rapidly, and at the same time, as the inner planets could transform our understanding of how planets take shape — not only in our solar system, but in planetary systems throughout the universe, the researchers said.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 21 July 2025
Earth orbits the sun at more than 30 km/s, so firing a probe at the sun or the inner planets is extremely hard because of all that sideways velocity.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 19 June 2025
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Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
If our sun were replaced with Betelgeuse, the star would not only engulf Earth and all the inner planets but reach past the orbit of Jupiter, according to NASA.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 July 2025
Evidence that rocky planets beyond Jupiter formed as rapidly, and at the same time, as the inner planets could transform our understanding of how planets take shape — not only in our solar system, but in planetary systems throughout the universe, the researchers said.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 21 July 2025
Earth orbits the sun at more than 30 km/s, so firing a probe at the sun or the inner planets is extremely hard because of all that sideways velocity.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inner planet
Cite this Entry
“Inner planet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inner%20planet. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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