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Apogee is the point, in an elliptical orbit around the Earth, where an object is furthest from the Earth. Perigee is the closest point to the Earth in such an orbit.
Apogee: The point in the orbit of the moon or an artificial satellite where it's farthest from the earth.
Perigee: The point in the orbit of the moon or an artificial satellite where it's closest to the earth.
That's because the Moon's orbit is not a circle. It's an ellipse.
That's for the same reason that most objects in an orbit move in an ellipse.
For an object to move in an exact circle in an orbit - around Earth, around the Sun, around a black hole, around a galaxy cluster, or whatever - if it is at a certain distance, it needs to have a very specific speed. Change this speed just a bit, and the orbit may change to an ellipse.
Basically, an ellipse is the "natural" shape of orbit for a celestial body.
When the Moon is closest to Earth it is at perigee.
When the Moon is furthest from the Earth it's at apogee.
Planets move in orbits around the Sun. Sometimes they are closer, sometimes
farther away. The point where a planet is closest to the Sun in its orbit is called
perihelion; the farthest point from the Sun in the orbit is called aphelion.
Satellites move in orbits around their planets. Sometimes they are closer, sometimes
farther away. The point where our moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit is called
perigee; the farthest point from the Earth in the moon's orbit is called apogee.
The point in the moon's orbit which is farthest from the earth is APOGEE.
The point in the moon's orbit which is closest to the earth is PERIGEE.
NOTE:
distance from earth is calculated from the "gravitational center of the earth".
The Moon moves around the Earth in an ellipse. The perigee is simply the part of the orbit at which the Moon is closest to the Earth. The more general term "periapsis" is preferable - this refers to orbits in general, not just orbits around the Earth.
"Peri-", meaning "near", and "gee" as an abbreviation for the Earth's gravity; "perigee" is the point in any orbit when a satellite is as close to the Earth as it ever comes. The Moon orbits the Earth, and reaches perigee once per orbit, ever 27.5 days.
The special thing about today is that the Moon reaches perigee, coincidentally, when the Moon is precisely full. Those two things only happen exactly together about once every 28 years.
Because the Moon does not orbit the Sun, we don't talk about the perihelion or aphelion of the Moon.
The Moon orbits the EARTH, so we refer to "perigee" and "apogee" to refer to the closest point of approach to Earth and the farthest point from the Earth.
Perigee: the part of an orbit around the Earth where an object is closest to Earth.
Apogee: the part where it is farthest.
Instead of specific words for different types of central objects (perigee, perihelion, etc.), it is recommended to use the more generic terms, periapsis and apoapsis. That way, you don't need scores of different names for what is basically the same concept.
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Brightest moon in 30000 years?
The term "brightest moon in 30,000 years" is often used in sensational headlines to grab attention and doesn't necessarily reflect a scientifically significant event. The brightness of the moon can vary due to its position in orbit, distance from Earth, and atmospheric conditions, but it is unlikely to be the brightest in 30,000 years in any meaningful way.
What term describes the moon phase in which most of the side of the moon facing the earth illuminated?
The term for the moon phase where most of the side facing Earth is illuminated is called a "full moon."
Where did the waxing crescent get its name?
The waxing crescent moon gets its name from the fact that the illuminated portion of the moon appears to be growing or "waxing" larger in size as it progresses from the new moon towards the first quarter phase. The term "crescent" refers to the curved shape of the moon during this phase.
What is the term used to describe a large natural satellite of any planet?
The term used to describe a large natural satellite of any planet is a "moon."
What is the term for when the earth sun and moon are aligned?
The term is syzygy (astronomy) or a solar eclipse.
When the Moon is farthest from the Earth this point is called .?
The moon is said to be at its Perigee when at its closest point to the Earth, Apogee when at its furthest point. Perigee and Apogee can also be used for other objects when orbiting about the Earth. If we talk about objects orbiting the sun (such as the planets) we use the term Perihelion and Aphelion (the helion part coming from the latin name of helios for the sun). If the perigee coincides with a full moon, we get a `supermoon`. The moon is at its largest circumference as it is at its closest, and is also full.
What is the definition of a supermoon?
"Supermoon" is the recent hyperbole term for the perigee full moon. The Moon's orbit around the Earth is an ellipse; all orbits are ellipses. When the full moon happens at or around the time of perigee (closest point of approach to the Earth), the Moon appears to be about 10% bigger and brighter than it would appear when the full moon is at apogee (farthest point from the Earth). Perigee full moons happen every year, so the term "supermoon" is silly.
When is the moon farthest from the moon?
Perhaps you mean "... from the Earth"? Like any other object that goes around another object in an orbit, the Moon goes around the Earth in an ellipse. Sometimes it is closer to Earth, sometimes farther. The closest point is known either as perigee, or by the more generic term periapsis. The farthest point is apogee, or apapsis. The difference in distance between perigee and apogee is not enormous; you don't see much difference with the unaided eye.It seems the next apogee is Nov. 22, 2009; but please note that this is unrelated to the Moon's phases.
What is the term that relates to the moon farthest distance from the earth?
The term is "apogee." It refers to the point in the moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
Is the moon at apogee near or far away from earth?
The word "apogee" is used to describe the farthest point away from Earth, while perigee is the closest point to Earth. This is used to describe the parameters of satellite orbits around the Earth. Both values may change due to gravitational variations.The word apogee is the adaptation of the term apsis which is the term for a farthest distance from some object, with gee (geo) meaning Earth.
What is the term of the point in the Moon's orbit when it is closet to earth?
Perigee.
What is the term that relates to the moon's closest approach to the earth?
perigee
What word is used to describe the moon at its farthest point from Earth?
"Apogee" is the term used to describe the point in the moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
What is the term when the moon is close to the earth?
Perigee, "peri-" for close, and "gee" as an abbreviation for the gravity of the Earth. The point at which the Moon is farthest away is called "apogee". The points in Earth's orbit around the Sun when the Earth is closest and farthest are perihelion and aphelion, from the Greek word "Helios" for the Sun.
Latin root of apogee and perigee?
Apogee:"point at which the moon is farthest from the earth," 1590s, from Fr. apogée, from L. apogæum, from Gk. apogaion, neut. adj., "away from the earth," a term from Ptolemaic astronomy, from apo "off, away" (see http://wiki.answers.com/index.php?term=apo-) + gaia/ge "earth."Perigee:"point at which a celestial body is nearest the Earth," 1594, from Mod.L. perigeum (15c.), from Late Gk. peregeion,used by Ptolemy as a noun, properly neut. of adj. perigeios"near the earth," from peri ges, from peri "near" + ges, gen. of ge "earth."
What is it called when the moon is closest to earth?
The word "perigee" means the point in an orbit when the satellite is as close as it ever gets to the Earth. The prefix "peri" means "near to", and "gee" is used to refer to the Earth's gravitational mass. The word "perihelion", from "peri" for near and the Greek name of the Sun "Helios", means "as close to the Sun as something ever gets".
What is the maximum distance between the Moon and Earth called?
Objects in space usually travel in an elliptical orbit. In astronomy, an apsis is the point of greatest distance of the elliptical orbit of an astronomical object from its center of attraction, which is generally the center of mass of the system. More common term is APOGEE for fartherest distance of the moon from the Earth. Perigee is the name of the closest distance. For orbits around the Sun, the word used is perihelion and aphelion. Source Wikipedia
