Astronomical object

An astronomical object, celestial object, stellar object or heavenly body is a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists within the observable universe. In astronomy, the terms object and body are often used interchangeably. However, an astronomical body or celestial body is a single, tightly bound, contiguous entity, while an astronomical or celestial object is a complex, less cohesively bound structure, which may consist of multiple bodies or even other objects with substructures.

This article is about naturally occurring objects. For astronomical objects of the Solar System, see List of Solar System objects. For artificial objects, see Satellite. "Celestial object" and "Celestial body" redirect here. For the subtle body postulated in philosophy, see Body of light. For other uses, see Celestial.
Selection of astronomical bodies and objects

Examples of astronomical objects include planetary systems, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies, while asteroids, moons, planets, and stars are astronomical bodies. A comet may be identified as both a body and an object: It is a body when referring to the frozen nucleus of ice and dust, and an object when describing the entire comet with its diffuse coma and tail.

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