perigee
- noun
- /ˈpɛrɪˌdʒi/
- Specialized
- The average full moon is the one falling midway in distance between perigee, the closest point to Earth along the moon's orbit, and apogee, the farthest point.
- Moon at perigee
- perigee point
Examples
-
Apogee is the point when the Moon is furthest from the Earth and perigee when it's closest.
-
Since the lunar orbit has an eccentricity of about five percent, the Moon at perigee and apogee is five percent closer and farther, respectively, than at average distance.
Academic text (2004) -
A satellite's perigee," she said suddenly, "is three hundred klicks above mean sea level.
Fiction book (1999) -
Well, it has a mathematically proven perigee.
-
6 The Moon is at perigee, 7:13 a.m. PDT
Academic text (2006) -
The Moon is at perigee, 11:39 A.M. PDT
Academic text (2007) -
October 6: Perigee moon (nearest the earth) is at 2:00 P.M., EDT.
Academic text (1990) -
The Moon is at perigee, 3:57 p.m. PDT. Full Moon is at 4:09 a.m. PDT.
Academic text (2004) -
Furthermore, the lunar orbit itself rotates, carrying the perigee and apogee points with it in a period of 18.61 years.
Academic text (2004) -
The satellite will reach its perigee at 10:30 PM tonight, coming within 200 kilometers of the Earth.
Synonyms
A place in an orbit where an object is closest to the planet or star it goes around
The point in an object's orbit when it is closest to the body it goes around
Antonyms
How Near
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word perigee comes from Greek parts peri- 'near' and ge 'Earth', the same root you see in geography. So perigee is the point when a moon or satellite is closest to the Earth.