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

What’s more, this blue Sea on the moon is also the site of Tranquility Base, the first location on another celestial body to be visited by humans. —Kyle Roderick, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

In a process called tidal flexing, tidal forces from Jupiter's gravity stretch and release Europa's ocean and icy shell above it, creating heat within the celestial body that is enough to maintain liquid beneath an otherwise cold world. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024

The team suspects the bedrock was broken by an impact that occurred when a celestial body slammed into Mars 3.9 billion years ago, creating a 745-mile-wide (1,200-kilometer) basin that scattered material from deep beneath the Martian crust. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024

Instead, the meteor shower takes place when Earth passes through the debris left in the wake of 3200 Phaethon, a contentious celestial body within the scientific community because of its resemblance to both an asteroid and a comet. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined above