perigee

noun

peri·gee | \ˈper-ə-(ˌ)jē

Definition of perigee

: the point in the orbit of an object (such as a satellite) orbiting the earth that is nearest to the center of the earth also : the point nearest a planet or a satellite (such as the moon) reached by an object orbiting it — compare apogee

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The spacecraft, built by Orbital ATK, will conduct thruster burns at apogee (farthest point from Earth) and perigee (closest point to Earth) for 4 or 5 orbits. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "SpaceX Launch of NASA's TESS Space Telescope Scrubbed Until Wednesday (Updated)," 16 Apr. 2018 The lunar event was heralded as the #SuperBlueBloodMoon because the moon is near its perigee, or the closest point in its orbit to the Earth, according to EarthSky.org. — Christine Clarridge, The Seattle Times, "People across Seattle area got up early to see #SuperBlueBloodMoon — but saw clouds instead," 31 Jan. 2018 Starting with the first adjective, a supermoon occurs when the moon reaches peak fullness during its perigee, a.k.a. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Look Up! A Super Blue Blood Moon Is Coming in January," 28 Dec. 2017 According to EarthSky tonight's supermoon will also be the closest perigee of the year. — Leigh Morgan, AL.com, "Supermoon 2018: First of two full supermoons in January is tonight," 1 Jan. 2018 When a full moon occurs right at perigee, it is known as a supermoon. — Jason Samenow, Washington Post, "The full Hunter’s Moon rises Friday night and crowns a king tide," 3 Nov. 2017 The term supermoon refers to a full moon that coincides with the lunar orb’s closest approach to Earth, or perigee. — Bill Ingalls, National Geographic, "11 Striking Pictures of This Week's Supermoon," 14 Nov. 2016 And because the size of the moon's orbit varies slightly over time, each month's perigee is not always the same distance from Earth. — Jordan Mansfield, National Geographic, "How to See the Biggest Supermoon in 68 Years," 10 Nov. 2016 A moon at apogee appears smaller than a moon at perigee, and if an eclipse takes place during one of those high-flying periods, the 400-400 balance between the size of the sun and moon and the distance separating them is thrown off. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, "The Beauty and Science of a Total Solar Eclipse," 18 Aug. 2017

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