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

In addition to the seven planets, however, Dury's photo captures the moon and the sun from the vantage point of Earth, which lies in the foreground, for a total of 10 celestial bodies captured in one photograph. —Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 5 Mar. 2025

Such occurrences allow scientists to study planetary positions, while enthusiasts get a unique opportunity to observe multiple celestial bodies at once. —Jenna Dejong, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025

The view is of the moon's far side, an area not visible to Earth, and shows our planet rising and setting behind the celestial body. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025

The cloud is believed to appear as a shell of planetesimals — a small celestial body or planet — that surrounds the solar system. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 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