[ik-er-uh
s, ahy-ker-] 
| 1. | Also, Ikaros. Classical Mythology. a youth who attempted to escape from Crete with wings of wax and feathers but flew so high that his wings melted from the heat of the sun, and he plunged to his death in the sea. |
| 2. | Astronomy. an asteroid whose eccentric orbit brings it closer to the sun than any other known asteroid. |
In classical mythology, the son of Daedalus. Icarus died tragically while using artificial wings, invented by his father, to escape from the Labyrinth. When Icarus flew too close to the sun, it melted the wax that held the wings together, and he fell into the sea.
| Icarus (ĭk'ər-əs) Pronunciation Key
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. |
