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

Key Facts At their closest point, the two celestial bodies will appear to be just 0.7 degrees apart. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

The celestial body, officially named 2017 OF201, is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO)—a minor planet beyond Neptune’s orbit—and one of the most distant visible objects in the solar system. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025

That means no country may claim territory in outer space, and all have the right to access all areas of the Moon and other celestial bodies freely. —Michelle L.d. Hanlon, The Conversation, 12 May 2025

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

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