an asteroid (6.9 km in diameter) that has an orbit approaching close to the sun and releases fragments of dust that enter the earth's atmosphere as meteors
Phaëthon in British English
(ˈfeɪəθən)
noun
Greek mythology
the son of Helios (the sun god) who borrowed his father's chariot and nearly set the earth on fire by approaching too close to it. Zeus averted the catastrophe by striking him down with a thunderbolt
Phaëthon in American English
(ˈfeɪəˌθɑn)
noun
Classical Mythology
son of Helios, the sun god: he unsuccessfully tries to drive his father's sun chariot and almost sets the world on fire, but Zeus strikes him down with a thunderbolt
Word origin
L Phaethon < Gr Phaethōn, lit., shining (< phaethein, to shine) < phaos, light < IE base *bhā-, to shine