Apsis

The apsides refer to the farthest (2) and nearest (3) points reached by an orbiting planetary body (2 and 3) with respect to a primary, or host, body (1)

An apsis (from Ancient Greek ἁψίς (hapsís) 'arch, vault'; pl. apsides /ˈæpsɪˌdz/ AP-sih-deez)[1][2] is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. The line of apsides is the line connecting the two extreme values.

For example, for orbits about the Sun the apsides are called aphelion (farthest) and perihelion (nearest). The Moon's two apsides are the farthest point, apogee, and the nearest point, perigee, of its orbit around the host Earth. Earth's two apsides are the farthest point, aphelion, and the nearest point, perihelion, of its orbit around the host Sun. The terms aphelion and perihelion apply in the same way to the orbits of Jupiter and the other planets, the comets, and the asteroids of the Solar System.

  1. ^ "apsis". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  2. ^ "apsis". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins.