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
There is also an upper limit on the mass left behind by pair instabilities, which is a roughly 130 solar mass black hole.
—
ArsTechnica, 1 Apr. 2026
However, there is a 4.6 million solar mass elephant in the room: namely, the image of Sgr A* captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and revealed to the public in May 2022.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Feb. 2026
If the black hole doesn’t spin, or the material falls in the opposite direction to that spin, the upper limit falls to the 50 billion solar mass figure.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2025
But 4 billion light-years away, a tightly orbiting pair of supermassive black holes known as OJ 287 resides, with a ~150 million solar mass black hole orbiting one of tens of billions of solar masses every ~11-12 years.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for solar mass
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
ArsTechnica, 1 Apr. 2026
However, there is a 4.6 million solar mass elephant in the room: namely, the image of Sgr A* captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and revealed to the public in May 2022.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Feb. 2026
If the black hole doesn’t spin, or the material falls in the opposite direction to that spin, the upper limit falls to the 50 billion solar mass figure.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2025
But 4 billion light-years away, a tightly orbiting pair of supermassive black holes known as OJ 287 resides, with a ~150 million solar mass black hole orbiting one of tens of billions of solar masses every ~11-12 years.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for solar mass
Cite this Entry
“Solar mass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solar%20mass. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
