Definition of "celestial mechanics" [celestial mechanics]

• The science of the motion of celestial bodies under the influence of gravitational forces. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "From 1857 until six months before his death Puiseux was the successor of Cauchy in the chair of celestial mechanics at the"
• "In the line of celestial mechanics his glory was made by the discovery (announced in 1773) of the invariability of the planetary mean motions and the consequent stability of the solar system."