solar mass

American  

noun

1. the unit, equivalent to the mass of the sun, in which the masses of stars and other celestial objects are given.

   a black hole of one million solar masses.

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solar mass British  

noun

1.  M.  an astronomical unit of mass equal to the sun's mass, 1.981 × 10 ³⁰ kilograms

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Example Sentences

In terms of the quantity of the gas being expelled, scientists ascertained that ionised- and neutral-gas outflows measured by their equipment ultimately reached "0.14–2.9 and 30–100 solar mass per year, respectively."

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2024

For the three stars with detected astrospheres, named 70 Ophiuchi, epsilon Eridani, and 61 Cygni, the researchers estimated their mass loss rates to be 66.5±11.1, 15.6±4.4, and 9.6±4.1 times the solar mass loss rate, respectively.

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2024

As the star dies in a supernova, protons and electrons in its core are crushed into a compressed solar mass that combines intense gravity with high-speed rotation and powerful magnetic forces, according to NASA.

From Scientific American • Jan. 5, 2022

A little more than a week earlier, a giant solar mass ejection nearly caused technological calamity on Earth.Credit...

From New York Times • May 28, 2021

In the stages of concentration the planetary nebulæ might well repeat those through which the greater solar mass proceeded.

From Outlines of the Earth's History A Popular Study in Physiography by Shaler, Nathaniel Southgate