When the Sun, the Earth, and a planet all lie along a straight line, the planet is at:
A) quadrature
B) opposition
C) greatest elongation
D) conjunction
E) either opposition or conjunction

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the Sun, the Earth, and a planet all lie along a straight line, the planet is either at opposition or conjunction. Opposition occurs when the planet is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, while conjunction occurs when the planet is on the same side of the Sun as Earth. Therefore, the best choice is E, either opposition or conjunction.

When the Sun, the Earth, and a Planet All Lie