dwarf planet

English

Noun

dwarf planet (plural dwarf planets)

  1. (astronomy) Any astronomical body which has achieved hydrostatic equilibrium (which is the shape a body of water would take, as opposed to a small Solar System body), orbits the Sun (as opposed to a moon), and has not "cleared its neighbourhood" of competing bodies (as opposed to a planet).
    Synonyms: planetoid, sub-planet
    Hypernyms: minor planet, planet, planetary-mass object
    Hyponyms: ice dwarf, plutoid

Translations

See also

Further reading

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.