General term for a solid (or cold, in case of gas "things") object circling a star = planet.
In our Solar system (the adjective "solar" applies only to OUR Sun):
planet = the major bodies circling the Sun
minor planets = the minor bodies circling the Sun, also called asteroids because, when the term was adopted (around 1860) they "looked like stars" in telescopes, while "real" planets showed disks.
dwarf planet = in between minor and main planets.
planetoids = ANY object in orbit around the Sun, EXCEPT comets (this is for historical reasons, going back over 2300 years), even though comets are objects in orbit around the Sun...
[not to be confused with "planetary" = "looks like a planet" describing any object that shows up as having shape and size in a telescope, as in a "planetary nebula" -- something that is not just a point of light]
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For planets found in orbit around other stars: exoplanets
(the prefix exo- is from a Greek word meaning outside)
For "planet-like" objects roaming freely in the space between stars, we have a whole list of names (because some people don't like using the word "planet" when no stars are involved):
Planemo, rogue planet, interstellar planet, nomad planet, free-floating planet, orphan planet, wandering planet, starless planet, sunless planet.
Planemo comes from "planetary-mass object" (an object big enough to be a planet but not in orbit around a star).
However, the most popular name by far is still "rogue planet".
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Objects in orbit around planets are called "satellites", although it is possible to use the word "moon" (small m) as a simile.
The word "Moon" (big M) is the official name, in English, for Earth's natural satellite. Our moon is called Moon.
When we discover satellites around exoplanets, they will be called exomoons (the word is already used in scientific papers).
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jehen say: Planets
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Acetek say: Planets
plan·et ˈplanət/ noun
1. a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star.
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digquickly say: Well, ..., Planets that orbit a star form a Solar System and are know simply as planets. Planets that have no star are known as 'Rogue Planets'.
They can also be known as: interstellar planet, nomad planet, free-floating planet, orphan planet, wandering planet, starless planet, sunless planet, or by the general term planemo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet#Pla...
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