perihelion

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“
This point of the orbit is known as the perihelion, and at that point the velocity of the earth is at its greatest, because the earth is then nearest the sun.

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Definitions (2)

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  1. noun The point nearest the sun in the orbit of a planet or other celestial body.

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Examples (50)

  • Comet Halley was past perihelion, moving past Earth back into the vasty deeps at the edge of the Solar System, its tail leading it into its final sojourn. —  F ;SF; - vol 102 issue 05 - May 2002
  • When an asteroid is close to perihelion, it's near a traverse. —  Steele, Allen - [Near-Space 05] - A King of Infinite Space
  • Polassar suggested—whatever might happen—that they move to the perihelion, to replenish the power lost in repulsing the attack. —  FIASCO - Stanislaw Lem
  • But according to Casey, my testimony was nothing more than "Smoke-and-Mirrors.". perihelion: If you've been staring at the Sun lately, then you may have noticed it looks a wee bit bigger today than it did a few days ago. —  The Greenbelt
  • Today is perihelion, the time when the Earth is closest to the Sun in its orbit. —  The Greenbelt
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Etymologies (1)

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  1. Alteration of New Latin perihēlium : peri- + Greek hēlios, sun; see sāwel- in Indo-European roots.
 

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/pɛrɪˈhilɪən,um/
by American Heritage
by Lee Davis-Thalbourne

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