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

Sky gazers in the path of the partial solar eclipse will likely see a crescent shape when looking at the sun as the moon passes between the star and Earth, in contrast to a total solar eclipse which aligns the three celestial bodies completely. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025

With that, Salto and other robots that use this tech could potentially aid in search-and-rescue operations by navigating nimbly through disaster areas, help inspect infrastructure, and even explore low-gravity celestial bodies. —New Atlas, 21 Mar. 2025

The researchers ruled out the existence of other planets within the habitable zone of Barnard's Star. MORE: Parade of planets this month will feature celestial bodies in alignment The planets are difficult to detect because their stars shine so brightly next to them, the researchers said. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2025

But unlike a total eclipse, the three celestial bodies are not completely lined up, and thus the moon will only block parts of the sun to viewers on Earth. —Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for celestial body

• passamaquoddy
• afterbody
• antibody
• busybody
• everybody
• autoantibody
• bawdy
• gaudy
• khadi
• mahdi
• noddy
• oddi