| astrolabe |
an instrument used by the ancient Greeks and medieval Arabs to determine the position of heavenly bodies, later replaced by the sextant. |
| astrology |
the study of the positions of the heavenly bodies in relation to each other with the aim of predicting their influence on human affairs. |
| astrophysics |
(used with a sing. verb) the branch of physics that deals with the physical and chemical properties of heavenly bodies and interstellar space. |
| celestial |
a heavenly inhabitant; divine being. [1/6 definitions] |
| cherub |
a heavenly being, esp. one of the second order of angels, usu. represented as a winged child with a chubby face and rosy cheeks. [1/2 definitions] |
| comet |
a heavenly body orbiting the sun and having a nucleus surrounded by a nebulous sheath that may form an elongated tail when the body comes close to the sun. |
| corona |
in meteorology, a ring or series of concentric rings seen around a heavenly body, caused by diffraction due to fine mist or dust in the atmosphere. (See aureole.) [1/5 definitions] |
| crater |
a similar depression in the surface of the earth or other heavenly bodies caused by the impact of falling meteorites or the explosion of a mine or bomb. [1/3 definitions] |
| earthly |
pertaining to the earth as opposed to spiritual or heavenly realms; worldly. [1/2 definitions] |
| eclipse |
the blocking from view of the sun, a moon, or a planet by another heavenly body. In an eclipse of the sun, the sun is hidden from earth's view by the moon passing between the sun and the earth. [1/3 definitions] |
| empyrean |
the heavenly realm of pure fire or light, according to the ancients. [1/3 definitions] |
| limb2 |
an edge or border that differs in appearance or structure from the surface or object it borders, such as the visible edge of a heavenly body. |
| music of the spheres |
music that early mathematicians, such as Pythagoras, thought was produced by the movements of the heavenly bodies, but which was inaudible on earth. |
| nadir |
the point on a heavenly sphere directly below a specified position on the earth's surface and at the other end of the diameter drawn from the zenith. [1/2 definitions] |
| Ptolemaic system |
the cosmographic theory, systematized by the Hellenistic astronomer Ptolemy, according to which all heavenly bodies revolve around the earth, which is fixed at the center of the universe. |
| quasar |
a heavenly object that is similar to a star. Quasars are far away from the earth and send out powerful radio waves. |
| ride |
of a heavenly body, to seem to float. [1/16 definitions] |
| satellite |
a heavenly body that moves around a planet or another larger body. [2/3 definitions] |
| sphere |
a heavenly body, such as a planet or star. [1/6 definitions] |
| spherical |
of or concerning heavenly bodies, esp. as considered to influence human nature and events. [1/3 definitions] |
| star |
any of a vast number of heavenly bodies that give out great heat and light and can be visible from earth as points of light in the night sky. [1/8 definitions] |