You might have come across the word heavenly body in your science textbook sometime or the other. Have you ever wondered what are heavenly bodies? Celestial bodies or heavenly bodies are objects in space such as the sun, moon, planets, and stars. They form a part of the vast universe we live in and are usually very far from us. The glorious night sky is dotted with such objects and when we observe them using a telescope, they reveal fascinating worlds of their own.
Hence, we can define heavenly bodies as,
A planet, moon, star or other natural objects in the space
In this article, let us discuss various heavenly body names and their meaning.
Table of Contents
Classification of Celestial Bodies
Stars
Planets
Satellites
Comets
Asteroids
Meteors and Meteorites
Galaxies
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
Classification of Celestial Bodies
Stars
Stars are giant balls of hot gases that can produce their own light. Stars give out energy by converting Hydrogen gas into Helium in their cores. Stars are gigantic in size and have an immense gravitational attraction. The sun is a medium-sized star that gives us energy and makes life possible on earth.
Planets
Planets are large (almost) spherical objects that revolve around the sun. Planets move in fixed orbits around the sun. There are 8 planets in our solar system. Planets may be made of rocks, metals and gases like hydrogen, nitrogen and methane. The earth is also a planet and is the only known place in the universe which supports life. Planets that revolve around other stars are called exoplanets.
Satellites
Satellites are objects that revolve around planets. They form the essential part of the celestial bodies. These may be of natural origin or sent by humans. The moon is a natural satellite of the earth and revolves around it because it is bound by the Earth’s gravitational pull. Man has also placed artificial or man-made satellites around the earth and other planets to study them and for communication purposes.
Comets
These are small chunks of ice and rock that come from the outer edge of the solar system. When its orbit brings it closer to the sun, the ice on them vaporizes, creating a beautiful tail behind them.
Asteroids
These are small irregularly shaped rocks made up of metal or minerals that orbit the sun. Most of them are found between Mars and Jupiter in an area known as the asteroid belt.
Meteors and meteorites
These are objects from space that enter our atmosphere as they are pulled by the earth’s gravity. Meteors usually are small and burn up in the atmosphere as they enter the earth. This creates streaks in the sky as though a star has fallen. They are commonly called shooting stars. If a meteor is large enough it can reach the ground and create a crater. Such objects are called meteorites.
Galaxies
Galaxies are large groups of stars held together by gravity. The sun and the solar system are a part of a galaxy known as the Milky Way. Other galaxies are usually so far away that they look like stars in the night sky. The Andromeda galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud are galaxies that can be seen with the naked eye on a clear night.
The next time you go out to wonder at the night sky, try to identify these objects. If you can get a star chart, use it to find the different celestial objects mentioned in the night sky.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
Q1
What do we mean by celestial bodies?
Celestial bodies or heavenly bodies refer to the planets, stars, moons and all the other natural objects present in space.
Most of the asteroids are found in the asteroid belt which is a region between Mars and Jupiter.
Q4
What are comets?
Comets are small chunks of ice and rock that come from the outer edge of the solar system. When its orbit brings it closer to the sun, the ice on them vaporizes, creating a beautiful tail behind them. Halley’s comet is one of the most well-known comets which is visible to the naked eye from the earth every 75-76 years.
Q5
Which galaxy are we a part of?
The sun and our solar system are a part of the Milkyway galaxy.
Q6
What is the one major difference between planets and stars?
Unlike planets, stars produce their own source of light. Planets just reflect the light coming from another star like the sun.
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JOSHUA AGUNDU November 2, 2020 at 11:59 pm
Astronomically certain events on earth,seem to synchronise with certain celestial event.for example,the annual flooding of the nile follows closely the appearance of sirius,the tides ebbed & flows in phase with the moon,the change of the seasons follows closely the movement of the sun.
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Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
Heavenly bodies, also known as celestial bodies, are objects in space such as the sun, moon, planets, and stars. They are part of the vast universe we live in and are usually located far away from us. When observed using a telescope, these objects reveal fascinating worlds of their own [[1]].
In this article, various types of celestial bodies are discussed, including stars, planets, satellites, comets, asteroids, meteors and meteorites, and galaxies.
Stars
Stars are giant balls of hot gases that can produce their own light. They give out energy by converting hydrogen gas into helium in their cores. Stars are gigantic in size and have immense gravitational attraction. The sun, which is a medium-sized star, gives us energy and makes life possible on Earth [[2]].
Planets
Planets are large (almost) spherical objects that revolve around the sun in fixed orbits. Our solar system has eight planets. Planets may be made of rocks, metals, and gases like hydrogen, nitrogen, and methane. Earth is a planet and is the only known place in the universe that supports life. Planets that revolve around other stars are called exoplanets [[3]].
Satellites
Satellites are objects that revolve around planets. They can be of natural origin, like the moon, or sent by humans. The moon is a natural satellite of the Earth and revolves around it due to the Earth's gravitational pull. Humans have also placed artificial or man-made satellites around the Earth and other planets for studying and communication purposes [[4]].
Comets
Comets are small chunks of ice and rock that come from the outer edge of the solar system. When their orbit brings them closer to the sun, the ice on them vaporizes, creating a beautiful tail behind them. Halley's comet is one of the most well-known comets, visible to the naked eye from Earth every 75-76 years [[5]].
Asteroids
Asteroids are small irregularly shaped rocks made up of metal or minerals that orbit the sun. Most of them are found between Mars and Jupiter in an area known as the asteroid belt [[6]].
Meteors and Meteorites
Meteors are objects from space that enter our atmosphere as they are pulled by the Earth's gravity. They usually burn up in the atmosphere, creating streaks in the sky known as shooting stars. If a meteor is large enough, it can reach the ground and create a crater. Such objects are called meteorites [[7]].
Galaxies
Galaxies are large groups of stars held together by gravity. Our sun and solar system are part of a galaxy known as the Milky Way. Other galaxies are usually so far away that they appear as stars in the night sky. The Andromeda galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud are galaxies that can be seen with the naked eye on a clear night [[8]].
I hope this information helps you understand the different types of celestial bodies mentioned in the article.
Celestial Bodies are all-natural bodies seen in the sky outside the Earth's atmosphere. Celestial Bodies are also called Heavenly Bodies. Celestial Bodies include stars, planets, and their moons, as well as comets, asteroids, etc. The moon is the celestial body closest to Earth.
Planets, stars, moons, comets, meteors, satellites and asteroids, are some of the heavenly bodies in space. There are other forms of heavenly bodies that are yet to be discovered and explored.
A celestial body is any object that astronomers observe in outer space. They are also sometimes referred to as "celestial objects", "astronomical objects", or "heavenly bodies." This can include planets, stars, moons, asteroids, comets, or even nebulae and galaxies.
- Natural objects visible in the sky are called heavenly bodies. - Planets, stars, moons, comets, meteors and asteroids, are some of the heavenly bodies in space. - We see many stars at night. - They shine brightly in the sky.
Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity – the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; dwarf planets such as Pluto; dozens of moons; and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.
The IAU recognizes that astronomy is an old science and many of its names come from long-standing traditions and/or are founded in history. For many of the names of the objects in the solar system, this is especially so. Most of the objects in our solar system received names long ago based on Greek or Roman mythology.
The most notable instances of this are Sun gods and Moon gods in polytheistic systems worldwide. Also notable are the associations of the planets with deities in Sumerian religion, and hence in Babylonian and Greco-Roman religion, viz. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
These seven bodies were the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, all of which were documented by the Babylonians over three thousand years ago.
If it has to do with the universe, it's cosmic. The planets, for instance, are cosmic bodies. When you use the word cosmic to describe something big, you often use it with the word, proportions. A big mistake might be an error of cosmic proportions.
any of the seven celestial bodies: Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn that in ancient belief have motions of their own among the fixed stars.
Selection of astronomical bodies and objects: Moon Mimas and Ida, an asteroid with its own moon, Dactyl. Comet Lovejoy and Jupiter, a giant gas planet. The Sun; Sirius A with Sirius B, a white dwarf; the Crab Nebula, a remnant supernova.
Asteroids are. A group of small heavenly bodies, forming a belt rotating round the sun. Starts forming a recognizable pattern. Solid bodies from the outer space.
A comet is heavenly body with a long glowing tale of light behind it.It is also called 'tailed star'. Comets also are members of the sun's family like other heavenly bodies. A comet has three parts- nucleus, coma and tail.
There are heavenly bodies (sun, moon, and stars) and there are earthly bodies (men, animals, and plants), but the beauty and glory of the heavenly bodies is of one kind, while the beauty and glory of earthly bodies is a different kind.
Our Heavenly Bodies Will Be Like the Body of the Resurrected Jesus. As several Scriptures tell us, the Lord Jesus Christ in His own resurrection provides the pattern for our resurrection.
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