celestial body Comparison Table

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celestial body comparison table

Subject has spectral type has Messier number is part of has purpose has age has surface temperature has orbital period has surface density has velocity has star surface temperature has V magnitude has parallax has position on celestial sphere has orbit has distance has asteroid number has radiation at surface has B magnitude has orbital inclination has proper motion has mean distance from Sun has energy source has energy production orbit has catalog has absolute magnitude has composition has wavelength has U magnitude is a kind of has material has mass has apparent dimension has synonym has definition has number of star has approximately elliptical orbit

asteroid our solar system celestial body planetoid Also called planetoids or minor planets, the asteroids are tiny planets most of which orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The largest - and the first discovered - is Ceres, with a diameter of 1,003 km. It is estimated that there may altogether be no fewer than 40000. A few have very elliptical orbits and cross the orbits of several other (major) planets. One or two even have their own satellites (moons).

asteroid belt our solar system 1.5 to 5.2 AU celestial body A region of space lying between Mars (1.5 AU) and Jupiter (5.2 AU), where the great majority of the asteroids are found. None of the belt asteroids have retrograde motion.

collection of stars catalog about star systems celestial body Two or more stars forming a gravitationally bound system

comet our solar system celestial body A diffuse body of gas and solid particles (such as CN, C₂, NH₃, and OH), which orbits the Sun. The orbit is usually highly elliptical or even parabolic (average perihelion distance less than 1 AU; average aphelion distance, roughly 10⁴ AU). Comets are unstable bodies with masses on the order of 10¹⁸ g whose average lifetime is about 100 perihelion passages. Periodic comets comprise only about 4% of all known comets. Comets are obviously related in some manner to meteors, but no meteorites from a comet have ever been recovered. Observations of comets Bennett and Kohoutek have established that a comet is surrounded by a vast hydrogen halo.

gamma ray source gamma ray celestial body

Messier object celestial sphere originally to catalog all objects which could be confused with a comet from Earth Messier catalog celestial body an object assigned a number by Charles Messier

natural satellite a more massive physical object satellite Body orbiting a planet. Since 1957 the term has also been applied to man-made (artificial) satellites; many astronomers make the distinction by calling natural satellites moons (and the Earth's natural satellite the Moon).

nebula gas nebula catalog celestial body An irregularly shaped cloud of interstellar gas or dust whose spectrum may contain emission lines (emission nebula) or absorption lines characteristic of the spectrum of nearby illuminating stars (reflection nebula).

NGC object celestial sphere New General Catalogue celestial body an object assigned a number in the New General Catalog of non-stellar objects

planet solar system various elements celestial body greater than Pluto's mass and less massive than ten times Jupiter's mass An object that formed in the disk surrounding a star. Unlike stars, planets do not produce light of their own but merely reflect that of the star(s) they orbit. Planets can have natural satellites.

radio source celestial sphere radio source catalog radio celestial body A source of extraterrestrial radio radiation. The strongest known is Cassiopeia A, followed by Cyg A and the Crab Nebula (Tau A) (the capital letters following the name of a constellation refer to the radio sources of the constellation, A being the strongest source). Radio sources are divided into two main categories: Class I, those associated with our Galaxy (which is a weak radio source), and Class II, extragalactic sources. Most radio sources are galaxies, supernova remnants, or H II regions.

ring Saturn ring system celestial body A system of four concentric rings, only about 2-4 km thick. The outermost ring is ring A, then comes Cassini's division, then ring B (also called the bright ring), then Lyot's division, then ring C (the crepe ring), then ring D (discovered in 1969). The rings are a swarm of solid particles, probably jagged rocks about 1 meter to 1 km across (1973), not ice as previously had been assumed, inside the Roche limit. Bobrov (1969) estimates the total mass of the rings to be about 0.01 the lunar mass.

ring gap Saturn ring system celestial body A gap between the rings of Saturn.

solar system celestial body A star with planets

star greater than 1000 Kelvin which depends on luminosity class determined from proper motion and radial velocity from the point of view of Earth's orbit from the point of view of Earth which is diffused out from the hotter core gravitational contraction and or fusion which takes place primarily within the core star catalog celestial body hydrogen, helium greater than 0.08 the sun's mass A celestial object that generates energy by means of nuclear fusion at its core. To do this it must have more than about 0.08 the sun's mass. If, for instance, the planet Jupiter were some fifty to one hundred times more massive than it is, fusion reactions would transpire in its core and it would be a star. See planet.

Universe kbTop celestial body The total celestial cosmos. According to Gott et al. the universe seems to be on a large scale isotropic, homogeneous, matter-dominated, and with negligible pressure. The total proper mass content of about 10²³ M_sun (Sandage derives 10⁵⁶ g from his determination of the deceleration parameter q₀) and radius of about 2 × 10²⁸ cm are the order of magnitude that most cosmologists would accept if the universe is bounded. Total mass contributed by luminous matter, about 3 × 10⁵³ g (see mass discrepancy). Age about 18 × 10⁹ yr for a Hubble constant H₀ = 55 km s^-1 Mpc^-1.

X-ray source celestial sphere X-ray celestial body A class of celestial objects whose dominant mechanism of energy dissipation is through X-ray emission. Galactic X-ray sources appear optically as starlike objects, peculiar in their ultraviolet intensity, variability (on time scales ranging from milliseconds to weeks), and spectral features. All known compact X-ray sources are members of close binary systems; a current popular model is mass accretion onto a compact object from a massive companion. (Four X-ray sources - all variable - are known to be associated with globular clusters.) The 21 known extended X-ray sources associated with clusters of galaxies seem to be clouds of hot gas trapped in the cluster's gravitational field.

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Subject	has spectral type	has Messier number	is part of	has purpose	has age	has surface temperature	has orbital period	has surface density	has velocity	has star surface temperature	has V magnitude	has parallax	has position on celestial sphere	has orbit	has distance	has asteroid number	has radiation at surface	has B magnitude	has orbital inclination	has proper motion	has mean distance from Sun	has energy source	has energy production	orbit	has catalog	has absolute magnitude	has composition	has wavelength	has U magnitude	is a kind of	has material	has mass	has apparent dimension	has synonym	has definition	has number of star	has approximately elliptical orbit
asteroid			our solar system																											celestial body				planetoid	Also called planetoids or minor planets, the asteroids are tiny planets most of which orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The largest - and the first discovered - is Ceres, with a diameter of 1,003 km. It is estimated that there may altogether be no fewer than 40000. A few have very elliptical orbits and cross the orbits of several other (major) planets. One or two even have their own satellites (moons).
asteroid belt			our solar system																		1.5 to 5.2 AU									celestial body					A region of space lying between Mars (1.5 AU) and Jupiter (5.2 AU), where the great majority of the asteroids are found. None of the belt asteroids have retrograde motion.
collection of stars																									catalog about star systems					celestial body					Two or more stars forming a gravitationally bound system
comet			our solar system																											celestial body					A diffuse body of gas and solid particles (such as CN, C₂, NH₃, and OH), which orbits the Sun. The orbit is usually highly elliptical or even parabolic (average perihelion distance less than 1 AU; average aphelion distance, roughly 10⁴ AU). Comets are unstable bodies with masses on the order of 10¹⁸ g whose average lifetime is about 100 perihelion passages. Periodic comets comprise only about 4% of all known comets. Comets are obviously related in some manner to meteors, but no meteorites from a comet have ever been recovered. Observations of comets Bennett and Kohoutek have established that a comet is surrounded by a vast hydrogen halo.
gamma ray source																												gamma ray		celestial body
Messier object			celestial sphere	originally to catalog all objects which could be confused with a comet											from Earth										Messier catalog					celestial body					an object assigned a number by Charles Messier
natural satellite																								a more massive physical object						satellite					Body orbiting a planet. Since 1957 the term has also been applied to man-made (artificial) satellites; many astronomers make the distinction by calling natural satellites moons (and the Earth's natural satellite the Moon).
nebula			gas																						nebula catalog					celestial body					An irregularly shaped cloud of interstellar gas or dust whose spectrum may contain emission lines (emission nebula) or absorption lines characteristic of the spectrum of nearby illuminating stars (reflection nebula).
NGC object			celestial sphere																						New General Catalogue					celestial body					an object assigned a number in the New General Catalog of non-stellar objects
planet			solar system																								various elements			celestial body		greater than Pluto's mass and less massive than ten times Jupiter's mass			An object that formed in the disk surrounding a star. Unlike stars, planets do not produce light of their own but merely reflect that of the star(s) they orbit. Planets can have natural satellites.
radio source			celestial sphere																						radio source catalog			radio		celestial body					A source of extraterrestrial radio radiation. The strongest known is Cassiopeia A, followed by Cyg A and the Crab Nebula (Tau A) (the capital letters following the name of a constellation refer to the radio sources of the constellation, A being the strongest source). Radio sources are divided into two main categories: Class I, those associated with our Galaxy (which is a weak radio source), and Class II, extragalactic sources. Most radio sources are galaxies, supernova remnants, or H II regions.
ring			Saturn ring system																											celestial body					A system of four concentric rings, only about 2-4 km thick. The outermost ring is ring A, then comes Cassini's division, then ring B (also called the bright ring), then Lyot's division, then ring C (the crepe ring), then ring D (discovered in 1969). The rings are a swarm of solid particles, probably jagged rocks about 1 meter to 1 km across (1973), not ice as previously had been assumed, inside the Roche limit. Bobrov (1969) estimates the total mass of the rings to be about 0.01 the lunar mass.
ring gap			Saturn ring system																											celestial body					A gap between the rings of Saturn.
solar system																														celestial body					A star with planets
star						greater than 1000 Kelvin		which depends on luminosity class	determined from proper motion and radial velocity			from the point of view of Earth's orbit	from the point of view of Earth				which is diffused out from the hotter core					gravitational contraction and or fusion	which takes place primarily within the core		star catalog					celestial body	hydrogen, helium	greater than 0.08 the sun's mass			A celestial object that generates energy by means of nuclear fusion at its core. To do this it must have more than about 0.08 the sun's mass. If, for instance, the planet Jupiter were some fifty to one hundred times more massive than it is, fusion reactions would transpire in its core and it would be a star. See planet.
Universe			kbTop																											celestial body					The total celestial cosmos. According to Gott et al. the universe seems to be on a large scale isotropic, homogeneous, matter-dominated, and with negligible pressure. The total proper mass content of about 10²³ M_sun (Sandage derives 10⁵⁶ g from his determination of the deceleration parameter q₀) and radius of about 2 × 10²⁸ cm are the order of magnitude that most cosmologists would accept if the universe is bounded. Total mass contributed by luminous matter, about 3 × 10⁵³ g (see mass discrepancy). Age about 18 × 10⁹ yr for a Hubble constant H₀ = 55 km s^-1 Mpc^-1.
X-ray source			celestial sphere																									X-ray		celestial body					A class of celestial objects whose dominant mechanism of energy dissipation is through X-ray emission. Galactic X-ray sources appear optically as starlike objects, peculiar in their ultraviolet intensity, variability (on time scales ranging from milliseconds to weeks), and spectral features. All known compact X-ray sources are members of close binary systems; a current popular model is mass accretion onto a compact object from a massive companion. (Four X-ray sources - all variable - are known to be associated with globular clusters.) The 21 known extended X-ray sources associated with clusters of galaxies seem to be clouds of hot gas trapped in the cluster's gravitational field.