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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Solar System & Planets

Planet

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˈplænɪt/nounCore term

In astronomy & space, planet means: A large, round object that orbits a star, shines only by reflected light and is massive enough to have cleared other large bodies from its orbit.

In Turkish: gezegen

How it is used

Used everywhere from school books to research papers. The eight planets of our solar system are often divided into rocky inner planets and giant outer planets. Astronomers observe, discover and name planets.

Example sentences

  1. Venus is the brightest planet in the evening sky this month, low in the west after sunset.

  2. Mercury is the smallest planet and the closest one to the Sun.

Common collocations

  • inner planets
  • outer planets
  • rocky planet
  • planet formation
  • discover a planet
  • solar systemThe Sun and everything that orbits it: eight planets and their moons, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, dust and gas.
  • dwarf planetA round object that orbits the Sun but has not cleared other objects from its orbit. Pluto, Ceres and Eris are well-known examples.
  • exoplanetA planet that orbits a star other than the Sun. The first one around a Sun-like star was found in 1995, and thousands are known today.
  • gas giantA very large planet made mostly of hydrogen and helium, with no solid surface to stand on. Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants of our solar system.
  • orbitThe curved path that an object such as a planet, moon or satellite follows around another object because of gravity. As a verb, it means to move along this path.

More terms: Solar System & Planets

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