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

If this much solar mass in a young universe was annually being forever lost into the gaping maw of a black hole, it would be less unusual.

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 accordance with the theory of Helmholtz, the chief supply of solar energy is held to be contraction of the solar mass itself; and plainly this must have its limits.

From A History of Science — Volume 3 by Williams, Henry Smith