There is no difference between celestial and heavenly bodies. Both these words refer to astronomical bodies, which are the natural bodies outside of the earth’s atmosphere.
The terms celestial bodies, heavenly bodies, and astronomical bodies all refer to natural bodies outside of the earth’s atmosphere. Sun, moon, and planets in our solar system are some examples of these bodies.
Key Areas Covered
1. What are Celestial Bodies
– Definition, Features, Classification
2. What are Heavenly Bodies
– Definition, Features
3. Similarities Between Celestial and Heavenly Bodies
– Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Between Celestial and Heavenly Bodies
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Celestial Bodies, Heavenly Bodies, Astronomical Bodies
What are Celestial Bodies
Celestial bodies are natural objects in space, such as the Sun, planets, and stars. They are a part of the universe and are far away from us. Some of these objects are visible in the night sky. Since some of these objects are far away, we cannot see them with the naked eye, but we can study them using telescopes.
We can classify these celestial bodies into several categories as below.
Stars
Stars are natural luminous bodies visible in the sky. They are fixed points. Moreover, they are gigantic in size, but we see them as tiny points because they are very far from us. Sun is also a star. It’s the star nearest to the earth. In addition, stars have a great gravitational attraction.
Planets
Planets are the celestial bodies that move in elliptical orbits around a star. Earth is a planet. There are eight planets in the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There are also the dwarf planets: Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres. Furthermore, there are thousands of other planetary systems in the universe.
Figure 1: Types of Planets under the Geophysical Planet Definition
Comets
Comets are celestial objects that have a nucleus of ice and dust. When they get near the Sun, they heat up and begin to release gases (we call this process outgassing), forming a huge glowing atmosphere around the comet nucleus. We call this a coma. As the gas and dust in the coma flow freely into space, the comet forms two tails: one made of dust while the other made of ionized molecules and radicals.
Asteroids
Asteroids are small rocky bodies that orbit the Sun. Moreover, they have irregular shapes and are made of metals or minerals. Most of these are found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, in an area named the asteroid belt.
Meteors and Meteorites
Meteors are small bodies of matter from outer space that enter the atmosphere of the earth. These burn up as they enter the earth, creating streaks in the sky as if a star has fallen. We call these shooting stars. If a meteor reaches the ground and creates a crater, we call it a meteorite.
Satellites
Satellites are objects that revolve around planets. This can be a moon, planet or a machine that orbits a planet. The Moon is a natural satellite of the earth, and it revolves around the earth due to its gravitational pull.
What are Heavenly Bodies
The term heavenly bodies is just another name for celestial bodies. Therefore, there is no difference between celestial and heavenly bodies.
Similarities Between Celestial and Heavenly Bodies
- Celestial bodies and heavenly bodies are synonyms.
- They refer to natural bodies outside of the earth’s atmosphere.
- Moreover, we can classify these bodies into several categories as stars, planets, asteroids, comets, asteroids, etc.
Difference Between Celestial and Heavenly Bodies
- There is no difference between celestial and heavenly bodies. Both terms refer to astronomical bodies.
Conclusion
In brief, celestial bodies and heavenly bodies are synonyms. They refer to natural objects in space, such as the Sun, planets, and stars. Therefore, there is no difference between celestial and heavenly bodies.
Reference:
1. “Celestial Bodies – Meaning, Classification & Heavenly Bodies Names.” BYJUS, 25 Aug. 2020, Available here.
2. “Astronomical Object.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Feb. 2021, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Types of planets under the Geophysical Planet Definition (GPD)” By Johns Hopkins APL/Mike Yakovlev – (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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