Astronomical object

"Celestial object" and "Celestial body" redirect here. For other uses, see Celestial (disambiguation).

This article is about naturally occurring objects. For artificial objects, see Satellite.

Astronomical objects are naturally occurring physical entities, associations or structures that current science has demonstrated to exist in outer space. The term astronomical object is sometimes used interchangeably with astronomical body. Typically an astronomical body refers to a single, cohesive structure that is bound together by gravity (and sometimes by electromagnetism). Examples include the asteroids, moons, planets and stars. Astronomical objects are gravitationally bound structures that are associated with a position in space, but may consist of multiple independent astronomical bodies or objects. These objects range from single planets to star clusters, nebulae or entire galaxies. A comet may be described as a body, in reference to the frozen nucleus of ice and dust, or as an object, when describing the nucleus with its diffuse coma and tail. The terms astronomical objects and astronomical bodies differ from celestial objects and celestial bodies only in that the latter terms do not include the Earth.

Location or structure

The table below lists the general categories of objects by their location or structure.

Solar System	Extrasolar objects
	Simple objects	Compound objects	Extended objects
Sun Planetary system Planets Mercury Venus Earth Moon 3753 Cruithne Mars satellites Jupiter satellites Saturn satellites Uranus satellites Neptune satellites Dwarf planets Pluto satellites Eris Dysnomia Ceres Makemake Haumea satellites Asteroids "Vulcanoids" "Apoheles" Near-Earth asteroids "Arjunas" Atens Apollos Amors Mars-crossers Asteroid belt Hungarias Phocaeas Nysas Alindas Hildas Pallas Marias Koronis Eos Themis Griquas Cybeles Thule Vesta Trojan asteroids Mars trojans Jupiter trojans Neptune trojans Outer planet crossers Damocloids Centaurs Trans-Neptunian objects Kuiper Belt Plutinos Cubewanos Twotinos Scattered Disk Objects Sedna Comets Oort cloud Meteoroids Meteors Meteor showers	Exoplanets Hot Jupiters Eccentric Jupiters Pulsar planets Hot Neptunes / Super-Earths Transiting planets Rogue / Interstellar planets Hypothetical planet types Chthonian planets Ocean planets Trojan planets Brown dwarfs L-type star T-type star Sub-brown dwarfs Stars by spectral type Blue stars Blue-white stars White stars Yellow-white stars Yellow stars Orange stars Red stars Peculiar stars Carbon stars S-type stars Shell stars Wolf-Rayet stars Peculiar A-type stars Metallic A-type stars Barium stars P Cygni stars Blue stragglers Stars by luminosity class Subdwarf stars Dwarf (Main sequence) stars Subgiant stars Giant stars Bright giant stars Supergiant stars Hypergiant stars Stars by population Population III stars Population II stars Halo stars Thick disk stars Population I stars Stars by stellar evolution Protostars Young stellar objects Main sequence stars Red giant stars Red supergiant stars Blue supergiant stars Wolf-Rayet stars White dwarf stars Neutron stars Variable stars Intrinsic variables Pulsating variables Cepheid variables W Virginis variables Delta Scuti variables RR Lyrae variables Mira variables Semiregular variables Irregular variables Beta Cephei variables Alpha Cygni variables RV Tauri variables Eruptive variables Flare stars T Tauri variables FU Orionis variables R Coronae Borealis variables Luminous blue variables Cataclysmic variables Symbiotic variables Dwarf novae Novae Supernovae Type I supernovae Type II supernovae Hypothetical Collapsars or Hypernovae Extrinsic variables Rotating variables Alpha2 CVn stars Rotating ellipsoidal variables Eclipsing binaries Algol stars, Algol Beta Lyrae stars W Ursae Majoris stars Compact stars White dwarfs Black dwarfs Neutron stars Magnetars Pulsars Hypothetical stars Quark stars Preon stars Black holes Intermediate-mass black holes Supermassive black holes Gamma ray bursts	Planetary systems Star systems Single star systems Solar system Multiple star systems Binary stars Optical binaries Visual binaries Astrometric binaries Spectroscopic binaries Eclipsing binaries Close binaries Detached binaries Semidetached binaries Contact binaries Unresolved binaries X-ray binaries X-ray bursters Triple star systems Stellar groupings Star clusters Stellar associations Open clusters Globular clusters Hypercompact stellar system Constellations Asterisms Galaxy components Galactic bulges Galactic bars Galactic rings Spiral arms Thin disks Thick disks Galactic halos Galactic coronae Galaxies Galaxies by morphology Spiral galaxies Barred spiral galaxies Lenticular galaxies Elliptical galaxies Ring galaxies Irregular galaxies Galaxies by size Brightest cluster galaxies Giant ellipticals Dwarf galaxies Active galaxies Quasars Blazars Radio galaxies Seyfert galaxies Starburst galaxies Dark galaxies Galaxy groups Galaxy clusters Superclusters Filaments / Voids	Circumstellar matter Debris disks Interplanetary medium Protoplanetary disks Interstellar medium Nebulae Emission nebulae Planetary nebulae Supernova remnants Plerions H II regions Reflection nebulae Dark nebulae Molecular clouds Bok globules Proplyds H I regions Intergalactic medium Cosmic microwave background radiation Dark matter MACHOs WIMPs Hypothetical Cosmic string Domain wall

See also

• International Astronomical Naming Commission
• List of solar system objects
• Lists of astronomical objects
• List of light sources

External links

• One in four stars 'may have Earth-like planets'
• SkyandTelescope.com SkyChart
• Monthly skymaps for every location on Earth