clear the neighborhood

Verb

Meaning

(astronomy) Of a celestial body: to become gravitationally dominant, such that there are no other bodies of comparable size within its orbit, other than its natural satellites or those otherwise under its gravitational influence.
Clearing the neighborhood is one of three necessary criteria for a celestial body to be considered a planet in the Solar System, according to the definition adopted in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see clear,‎ the,‎ neighborhood.

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