Icarus

Ic·a·rus  (kr-s)

n.

1. Greek Mythology The son of Daedalus who, in escaping from Crete on artificial wings made for him by his father, flew so close to the sun that the wax with which his wings were fastened melted, and he fell into the Aegean Sea.

2. An asteroid with an eccentric orbit approaching within 30 million kilometers (19 million miles) of the sun.

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[Latin, from Greek karos.]

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Icarus  (kr-s)

A small asteroid with a highly eccentric, Earth-crossing orbit that takes it to within 30 million km (19 million mi) of the Sun, or closer than the planet Mercury. In 1968 Icarus approached within 6 million km (4 million mi) of the Earth. See more at asteroid.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Icarus - (Greek mythology) son of Daedalus; while escaping from Crete with his father (using the wings Daedalus had made) he flew too close to the sun and the wax melted and he fell into the Aegean and drowned Greek mythology - the mythology of the ancient Greeks