apastron
- noun
- /əˈpæstrən/
- Specialized
:
apastrón
- During its orbit, the comet reached apastron, where it was the farthest from the sun.
Examples
-
When the planet was at apastron, it was an ideal time to observe distant stars.
-
Astronomers calculated the apastron of the satellite to predict its trajectory.
-
The planet moves slowest at apastron in its elliptical orbit.
-
Astronomers calculated the distance between the two stars at apastron to study their interaction.
-
At apastron, the gravitational pull between the objects is at its weakest.
-
The satellite reached its apastron last night.
-
At apastron, the planet is farthest from its sun.
Synonyms
The point in an orbit when an object is farthest from the planet or star it goes around
The point in an orbit that is farthest from the planet or star it goes around
Antonyms
How Close
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
apastron = astron (semi-transparent) = apo + astron
The word is analyzable as apo-/ap- ('away') + astron ('star'), but 'astron' is a technical combining form rather than a standalone English word, so average learners may not infer the meaning directly.
Etymology
The word apastron comes from Greek parts apo- meaning 'away' and astron meaning 'star', so it literally means 'away from the star'. You can see the same astron root in astronomy and astronaut, which helps remember that apastron is the point in an orbit when a planet or star is farthest from the object it goes around.
