celestial body

noun

variants or less commonly celestial object

plural celestial bodies also celestial objects

: an aggregation of matter in the universe (such as a planet, star, or nebula) that can be considered as a single unit (as for astronomical study)

But many scientists began seriously rethinking their notions of the solar system in 1992, when we identified a small celestial body—just a few hundred kilometers across—sited farther from the sun than any of the known planets.

—Jane X. Luu et al.

As the observer looks at a star or other celestial body its light rays pass through a single point on the earth's surface.

—Dutton's Navigation and Piloting, 14th edition

A black hole forms when a star or other celestial object collapses under the pull of its own gravity.

—Mary Durack Miller

called also heavenly body

Examples of celestial body in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If the Rubin telescope finds a super-Earth, Rice said, that would be exciting because these celestial bodies, between the sizes of Earth and Neptune, are a common type of exoplanet. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024

The fourth largest of Jupiter's 95 moons, Europa, is an icy celestial body that scientists have long suspected could hold the conditions necessary to support life beneath its surface. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2024

But the potential role of the moon in the scenarios above still begs the question of how this celestial body might steal your snooze. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 16 Aug. 2024

Recessed domes nod to the moon, light fixtures to celestial bodies, and a palette of purples, silvers, and blues to crepuscular horizons. —Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined above