major planet
Any of the 8 celestial bodies which orbit the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,…Any of the 8 celestial bodies which orbit the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune (a celestial body that fits the 2006 IAU definition of planet).
» Mercury is the smallest of the eight major planets in the Solar System.
Meaning
2 sensesAny of the 8 celestial bodies which orbit the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune (a celestial body that fits the 2006 IAU definition of planet).
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in order of their proximity to the sun; viewed from the constellation Hercules, all the planets rotate around the sun in a counterclockwise direction
Any planet that is significantly larger and more massive than Earth, containing large amounts of hydrogen and helium, such as Jupiter and Neptune.
Examples
2 sentencesMercury is the smallest of the eight major planets in the Solar System.
Our solar system has eight major planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Forms
plural: major planets| Singular | major planet |
|---|---|
| Plural | major planets |
regular
Synonyms
1 synonyms- (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in order of their proximity to the sun; viewed from the constellation Hercules, all the planets rotate around the sun in a counterclockwise direction:planet