ASTRONOMICAL

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does astronomical mean? 

• ASTRONOMICAL (adjective)
  The adjective ASTRONOMICAL has 2 senses:

1. relating or belonging to the science of astronomy

2. inconceivably large

  Familiarity information: ASTRONOMICAL used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ASTRONOMICAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Relating or belonging to the science of astronomy

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Synonyms:

astronomic; astronomical

Context example:

astronomic telescope

Pertainym:

astronomy (the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole)

Derivation:

astronomy (the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Inconceivably large

Synonyms:

astronomic; astronomical; galactic

Similar:

big; large (above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent)

 Context examples 

The star is just two million years old – a ‘toddler’ in astronomical terms – and is surrounded by a huge disc of dust and ice.

(Giant planets around young star raise questions about how planets form, University of Cambridge)

At their closest - once during each Saturn orbit of nearly 30 years - the two planets approach to within about 10 astronomical units of each other.

(Cassini spies the ice-giant planet Uranus, NASA)

Located about 55 million light-years from Earth, M87 has been a subject of astronomical study for more than 100 years.

(The Giant Galaxy Around the Giant Black Hole, NASA)

The conundrum is that the disk shouldn't be there, based on current astronomical theories.

(Hubble Uncovers Black Hole Disk that Shouldn't Exist, NASA)

One light year is equal to 63239.7 astronomical units, 0.3066 parsecs, 5.88E12 miles, or 9.460528405E15 meters.

(Light-Year, NCI Thesaurus)

Although dust only makes up about 1 percent of the interstellar medium (the stuff between the stars), it can have big effects on astronomical observations.

(All we are is dust in the interstellar wind, NSF)

When comet 45P zipped past Earth early in 2017, researchers observing from NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility, or IRTF, in Hawai’i gave the long-time trekker a thorough astronomical checkup.

(NASA Telescope Studies Quirky Comet 45P, NASA)

Although both Serpens South and the cluster at the heart of W40 are young in astronomical terms (less than a few million years old), Serpens South is the younger of the two.

('Space Butterfly' Is Home to Hundreds of Baby Stars, NASA)

The probe will conduct astronomical studies and surveys of the surface’s mineral composition and radiation tests of the surrounding environment.

(Chinese Rover Making Tracks on Dark Side of the Moon, VOA)

While this may sound old, it is considered young by astronomical standards.

(NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory Finds Planet That Makes Star Act Deceptively Old, NASA)