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

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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 In fact, the iconic galaxy births less than one solar mass of stars annually, which is roughly half of what our own galaxy produces, and shockingly less than other galaxies, such as Messier 82, which produces ten times the amount of stars birthed in the Milky Way. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Dec. 2024 Scientists estimate that the rings of the Sombrero galaxy produce less than one solar mass of stars each year, with one solar mass equaling the mass of our sun. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Dec. 2024 Heating up the surface would increase the amount of solar wind production, which would increase the rate of solar mass loss. Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 16 Apr. 2024 See All Example Sentences for solar mass

Word History

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of solar mass was in 1941

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Cite this Entry

“Solar mass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solar%20mass. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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