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.
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
Dutton's Navigation and Piloting, 14th editionA black hole forms when a star or other celestial object collapses under the pull of its own gravity.—Mary Durack Miller
Mary Durack Millercalled also heavenly body
Examples of celestial body in a Sentence
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Each of the game's more than 1,000 planets operates according to genuine physical laws; your character experiences different gravitational pulls depending on the celestial body, light cycles vary based on planetary rotation and atmospheric conditions affect visibility and movement.
—Cody Greco, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
In total, the celestial body is close enough for scientists to detect it for only 1 percent of its nearly 25,000-year orbit.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
Flying in tandem around the moon, GRAIL's twin spacecraft not only mapped out variations in the lunar gravitational field, but in doing so, created the highest-resolution map of any celestial body made to date.
—Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
On May 13, bright Antares will rise to the left of the waning gibbous moon in the southeastern sky, with just a few degrees of separation between the two celestial bodies.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 May 2025
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Cody Greco, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
In total, the celestial body is close enough for scientists to detect it for only 1 percent of its nearly 25,000-year orbit.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025
Flying in tandem around the moon, GRAIL's twin spacecraft not only mapped out variations in the lunar gravitational field, but in doing so, created the highest-resolution map of any celestial body made to date.
—Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
On May 13, bright Antares will rise to the left of the waning gibbous moon in the southeastern sky, with just a few degrees of separation between the two celestial bodies.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for celestial body
Cite this Entry
“Celestial body.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/celestial%20body. Accessed 8 Jun. 2025.
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