Extrasolar object
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Look up extrasolar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
An extrasolar object (from extra, Latin for outside or beyond, and solar, Latin for the Sun) is an astronomical object that exists outside the Solar System. It is not applied to stars, or any other celestial object that is larger than a star or the Solar System, such as a galaxy. It is only used for objects (aside from stars) which are also found in the Solar System. The terms for extrasolar examples of Solar System bodies are:
- Extrasolar planet, also called an "exoplanet"
- Extrasolar moon, also called an "exomoon"
- Exocomet, an extrasolar comet
- Extrasolar asteroid, with one identified as of 2013, orbiting GD 61
Some Solar System object classes, such as minor planets, dwarf planets and Trans-Neptunian objects have not been detected outside the Solar System.
See also
- Extraterrestrial, referring to objects or phenomena existing within the Solar System, but not on Earth
- Extragalactic astronomy, the study of objects outside the Milky Way Galaxy
- Planetary system, a set of gravitationally bound non-stellar objects in orbit around a star or star system
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