celestial mechanics

American  

noun

1. the branch of astronomy that deals with the application of the laws of dynamics and Newton's law of gravitation to the motions of heavenly bodies.

---

celestial mechanics British  

noun

1. the study of the motion of celestial bodies under the influence of gravitational fields

---

celestial mechanics Scientific  

1. The science of the motion of celestial bodies under the influence of gravitational forces.

2. See more at Kepler's laws of planetary motion relativity

---

Etymology

Origin of celestial mechanics

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

It’s not just celestial mechanics that makes Venus “pop,” though—planetary science is a factor, too.

From Scientific American • Jun. 2, 2023

Thank you to astronomer Geoff Chester of the Naval Observatory, for your benevolence, your patience in explaining celestial mechanics and for keeping me on the path to cosmic accuracy.

From Washington Post • Feb. 26, 2023

Nash transformed economics, Nasar wrote, just as “Mendel’s ideas of genetic transmission, Darwin’s model of natural selection, and Newton’s celestial mechanics reshaped biology and physics in their day.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2015

After all, we once thought celestial mechanics needed a divine watchmaker, as did the whole of biology.

From New York Times • Jan. 8, 2015

So, too, with celestial mechanics, which had terrestrial mechanics for its parent.

From Essays on Education and Kindred Subjects Everyman's Library by Spencer, Herbert