astronomical
Beyond earthly scale
Astronomical describes what relates to astronomy—the scientific study of celestial bodies: astronomical observations, astronomical data.
More commonly, it characterizes numbers or quantities so large they evoke cosmic scales: astronomical costs, astronomical odds.
Medical bills, executive salaries, and national debts are frequently called astronomical.
The word implies not just bigness but excess bordering on absurdity.
Gravitationally bound stellar mass
- nebulaInterstellar gas formation
- supernovaExploding massive star
- black holeCollapsed star's remnant
- quasarLuminous active galactic core
pulsar · red dwarf · white dwarf · red giant · dark matter · dark energy · cosmology · space-time
Extremely large in scale
- colossalExtremely large in scale
- vastExtremely great in size
- immenseExtremely large in scope
- staggeringShockingly impressive or unsteady
mind-boggling · incomprehensible · unfathomable · incalculable · monumental · stupendous · prodigious · tremendous
Unreasonably high, as costs
- prohibitivePreventing through excess
- sky-highExtremely or excessively elevated
- outrageousShockingly bad or excessive
- staggeringShockingly impressive or unsteady
eye-watering · ruinous · crippling · stratospheric · unaffordable · extortionate · steep · excessive
Instrument magnifying faraway objects
- spectroscopeDevice separating light frequencies
- light-yearAstronomical distance measure
- parsecInterstellar length measure
- redshiftWavelength stretch from recession
magnitude · luminosity · declination · astrometry · photometry · spectrometry · flux · albedo
galaxy
Gravitationally bound stellar mass
- nebulaInterstellar gas formation
- supernovaExploding massive star
- black holeCollapsed star's remnant
quasar · pulsar · red dwarf · white dwarf · red giant · dark matter · dark energy · cosmology · space-time · singularity
enormous
Extremely large in scale
staggering · mind-boggling · incomprehensible · unfathomable · incalculable · monumental · stupendous · prodigious · tremendous · overwhelming
exorbitant
Unreasonably high, as costs
- prohibitivePreventing through excess
- sky-highExtremely or excessively elevated
- outrageousShockingly bad or excessive
staggering · eye-watering · ruinous · crippling · stratospheric · unaffordable · extortionate · steep · excessive · shocking
telescope
Instrument magnifying faraway objects
- spectroscopeDevice separating light frequencies
- light-yearAstronomical distance measure
- parsecInterstellar length measure
redshift · magnitude · luminosity · declination · astrometry · photometry · spectrometry · flux · albedo · ephemeris
- Hyperbolea zillion, bazillion, gazillion, bajillion, zillion
- Scalevast, immense, huge, enormous, massive
- size wordsbig, small, short, large, huge
- Extreme Adjectivesboundless, colossal, countless, endless, enormous
- cosmic adjectivesstellar, celestial, cosmic, galactic, solar
- measurement systemsmetric, imperial, SI, nautical, troy
astronomicalmicroscopic
Too small for eyes
infinitesimal · minuscule · tiny · minute · negligible
astronomicaldirt-cheap
Extremely low-priced
negligible · nominal · affordable · cheap · inexpensive
astronomicalterrestrial
Relating to land
earthly · earthbound · sublunar · mundane · microscopical
- astronomical tablesComputed celestial coordinates listings
- astronomical clockCelestial-tracking timekeeping mechanism
- astronomical eventsOccurrences in outer space
- astronomical discoveriesFindings about celestial objects
- astronomical unitEarth-to-Sun distance standard
- astronomical researchScientific study of celestial bodies