inner planet
noun
: any of the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars whose orbits are within the asteroid belt
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web It’s the only inner planet whose surface hasn’t been explored by a robot. 
Jamie Carter, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2022 The other inner planet, Mercury, is also visible this week just before sunrise. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2021 Earth, which is protected by a thick, but livable atmosphere enabled by our own internal energy source—the spinning dynamo of our molten iron core—is the only inner planet with adequate protection from the sun. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 16 Oct. 2020 The instability also scattered oddball moons and asteroids and triggered smaller bodies to pummel the inner planets. Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, 21 Jan. 2020 The lunar rocks ultimately tell us of a violent chapter in solar system history, when a period known as the Late Heavy Bombardment rained down space rocks, heavily scarring the inner planets. Korey Haynes, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2019 Many scientists think these holes occurred during a period of the Solar System known as the Late Heavy Bombardment — a period when a huge number of asteroids smacked into the inner planets. Loren Grush, The Verge, 6 Dec. 2018 Instead, all planetary systems fortunate enough to host a gas giant in their outskirts should automatically have water-rich material falling on their rocky inner planets. Nola Taylor Redd, Smithsonian, 20 June 2018 As our solar system formed, the early sun blasted the inner planets with radiation and high-speed plasma, which drove off most of the gases (hydrogen, water vapor and CO2). Scott Denning, Washington Post, 4 May 2018 See More
Jamie Carter, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2022 The other inner planet, Mercury, is also visible this week just before sunrise. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2021 Earth, which is protected by a thick, but livable atmosphere enabled by our own internal energy source—the spinning dynamo of our molten iron core—is the only inner planet with adequate protection from the sun. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 16 Oct. 2020 The instability also scattered oddball moons and asteroids and triggered smaller bodies to pummel the inner planets. Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, 21 Jan. 2020 The lunar rocks ultimately tell us of a violent chapter in solar system history, when a period known as the Late Heavy Bombardment rained down space rocks, heavily scarring the inner planets. Korey Haynes, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2019 Many scientists think these holes occurred during a period of the Solar System known as the Late Heavy Bombardment — a period when a huge number of asteroids smacked into the inner planets. Loren Grush, The Verge, 6 Dec. 2018 Instead, all planetary systems fortunate enough to host a gas giant in their outskirts should automatically have water-rich material falling on their rocky inner planets. Nola Taylor Redd, Smithsonian, 20 June 2018 As our solar system formed, the early sun blasted the inner planets with radiation and high-speed plasma, which drove off most of the gases (hydrogen, water vapor and CO2). Scott Denning, Washington Post, 4 May 2018 See More Word History
First Known Use
1951, in the meaning defined above