Category and brief description of heavenly bodies in the sky A natural celestial objects visible in the night sky fall into the main categories below:

Objects flying or moving in the atmosphere are not usually considered as heavenly bodies.

Stars are giant balls of hot gases that can produce their own light. Stars give out energy by converting Hydrogen gas into Helium in their cores. Stars are gigantic in size and have immense gravitational attraction. The sun is a medium-sized star that gives us energy and makes life possible on earth.

Planets are large (almost) spherical objects that revolve around the sun. Planets move in fixed orbits around the sun. There are 8 planets in our solar system. Planets may be made of rocks, metals and gases like hydrogen, nitrogen and methane. The earth is also a planet and is the only known place in the universe which supports life. Planets that revolve around other stars are called exoplanets.

Satellites are objects that revolve around planets. They form the essential part of the celestial bodies. These may be of natural origin or sent by humans. The moon is a natural satellite of the earth and revolves around it because it is bound by the Earth’s gravitational pull. Man has also placed artificial or man-made satellites around the earth and other planets to study them and for communication purposes.

These are small chunks of ice and rock that come from the outer edge of the solar system. When its orbit

These are small irregularly shaped rocks made up of metal or minerals that orbit the sun. Most of them are found between Mars and Jupiter in an area known as the asteroid belt.

We shall discuss other categories later