perigee

peri·gee | \ ˈper-ə-(ˌ)jē

How to pronounce perigee (audio)

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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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Examples of perigee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Full moons on March 9 and April 7 will occur during the moon's perigee. — Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wolf moon on Friday night is first of 13 full moons this year which include two supermoons and a rare Halloween blue moon," 9 Jan. 2020 In contrast, a Supermoon occurs when the moon is closest to Earth, a phenomenon known as perigee. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "On Friday the 13th, See a Full 'Micromoon' Tonight," 13 Sep. 2019 Remember last February, when the full Moon coincided with perigee, its closest point to Earth? — Patrick May, The Mercury News, "Freakish fun for Friday the 13th: A full moon 13 years in the making," 12 Sep. 2019 When a full moon coincides with an especially close approach, or perigee, the lunar orb is slightly bigger and brighter than average, delivering what's come to be known as a supermoon. — National Geographic, "Learn about the lunar cycle, as well as the origins of the many names given to each month's full moon.," 15 June 2019 And because the size of the moon's orbit varies slightly with each lunar cycle, perigee is not always the same distance from month to month. — Andrew Fazekas, National Geographic, "See the first supermoon on the spring equinox in 19 years," 19 Mar. 2019 The closest point in its orbit is called the perigee. — Shannon Schmoll, Washington Post, "Something amazing will happen with the moon on Jan. 31," 28 Jan. 2018 Interestingly, the moon will also be very close to Earth during these celestial events; lunar perigee occurs just over 5 hours after new moon. — Joe Rao, Space.com, "Friday the 13th Eclipse Visible to Lucky Few," 11 July 2018 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

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perigee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

13 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Perigee.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perigee. Accessed 20 January 2020.

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