solar mass
noun
: the mass of the sun used as a unit for the expression of the masses of other celestial objects and equal to about 2 × 1030 kilograms
Examples of solar mass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even the littlest ones are big enough that researchers measure them in units of solar mass.
—
Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 21 Aug. 2023
The result, a neutron star, is approximately 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses — one solar mass is the mass of our sun, or about 330,000 Earths — crammed into a sphere measuring just 12 miles (20 kilometers) in diameter.
—Mindy Weisberger, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2022
And so the missing solar mass worth of energy was radiated out across the universe as gravitational waves.
—Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2017
One solar mass is equal to the mass of the sun, about the mass of 333,000 Earths (or 1.989 x 10^30 kilograms, to be specific).
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 14 June 2022
Sahu says that if this solar mass black hole is 7.1 times the mass of our Sun, its event horizon (or its outer boundary) would be about 26 miles in diameter.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 11 June 2022
As the star dies in a supernova, protons and electrons in its core are crushed into a compressed solar mass that combines intense gravity with high-speed rotation and powerful magnetic forces, according to NASA.
—Mindy Weisberger, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2022
One solar mass is the same mass as our Sun, roughly the mass of 330,000 Earths.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 6 Jan. 2022
These could have as little as 1 percent of a solar mass, whereas the vast majority of black holes detected by LIGO so far weigh more than 10 solar masses.
—Steve Nadis, Wired, 23 May 2021
Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 21 Aug. 2023
The result, a neutron star, is approximately 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses — one solar mass is the mass of our sun, or about 330,000 Earths — crammed into a sphere measuring just 12 miles (20 kilometers) in diameter.
—Mindy Weisberger, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2022
And so the missing solar mass worth of energy was radiated out across the universe as gravitational waves.
—Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 1 June 2017
One solar mass is equal to the mass of the sun, about the mass of 333,000 Earths (or 1.989 x 10^30 kilograms, to be specific).
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 14 June 2022
Sahu says that if this solar mass black hole is 7.1 times the mass of our Sun, its event horizon (or its outer boundary) would be about 26 miles in diameter.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 11 June 2022
As the star dies in a supernova, protons and electrons in its core are crushed into a compressed solar mass that combines intense gravity with high-speed rotation and powerful magnetic forces, according to NASA.
—Mindy Weisberger, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2022
One solar mass is the same mass as our Sun, roughly the mass of 330,000 Earths.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 6 Jan. 2022
These could have as little as 1 percent of a solar mass, whereas the vast majority of black holes detected by LIGO so far weigh more than 10 solar masses.
—Steve Nadis, Wired, 23 May 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'solar mass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1941, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near solar mass
Cite this Entry
“Solar mass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solar%20mass. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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