astronomical

Everyday

1. To do with astronomy, the science of stars, planets and space. tree →
2. (informal) Extremely large, especially about prices or numbers. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, an astronomical unit is the distance from Earth to the Sun, about 150 million kilometres; astronomical events include eclipses. In everyday talk, «astronomical prices» means very, very expensive. In maths, astronomical numbers are huge numbers.

Examples

• The price of the concert tickets was astronomical. tree →
• An eclipse is an astronomical event. tree →
• The distances in space are astronomical. tree →
• The astronomical society meets to look at stars. tree →
• Our phone bill was astronomical this month. tree →
• An astronomical unit is the distance from Earth to the Sun. tree →

Note

Do not confuse with «astrological» (about horoscopes, which is not science). In maths problems, an «astronomical» number is an informal way to say very large; it gives no exact value.