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

Another type of solar eclipse, known as an annular solar eclipse, occurs when all three celestial bodies align when the moon is at or near its farthest point from Earth. — Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026

While a total solar eclipse is what occurs when the moon completely blocks the face of the sun from Earth, a partial solar eclipse is an imperfect alignment of the trio of celestial bodies. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

At an annual Space Resources Week event in Luxembourg, businesses have publicly discussed how to make mining other celestial bodies, including the Moon, more palatable for the public. — Marissa E. Yingling, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026

At least in the case of smaller celestial bodies, ownership could be granted to those capable of mining valuable resources such as water or platinum. — Rainer Zitelmann, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026

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