major planet

Noun
  1. (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 (synset 109416900)
    referred to in: astronomy, uranology - the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole
    is a type of: celestial body, heavenly body - natural objects visible in the sky
    subtypes:
    • inferior planet - any of the planets whose orbit lies inside the earth's orbit
    • gas giant, jovian planet - any of the four outermost planets in the solar system; much larger than Earth and gaseous in nature (like Jupiter)
    • daystar, lucifer, morning star, phosphorus - a planet (usually Venus) seen just before sunrise in the eastern sky
    • outer planet - (astronomy) a major planet whose orbit is outside the asteroid belt (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto)
    • superior planet - any of the planets whose orbit lies outside the earth's orbit
    • terrestrial planet - a planet having a compact rocky surface like the Earth's; the four innermost planets in the solar system
    specific instances: evening star, hesperus, vesper - a planet (usually Venus) seen at sunset in the western sky
    belongs to: solar system - the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it in its gravitational field
    has: biosphere - the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist
    same as: planet

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