Space things move in paths.
Some paths go near a star. Some paths go far away. This happens to our Earth too. It is a big circle. It is not a perfect circle. Can you see the path?
Space things move in paths.
These paths are not perfect circles. They are shaped like ovals. This means things move closer and further away.
When a planet is closest to a star, it is at its nearest point.
For Earth, this happens near the Sun. This point is called perihelion.
When the planet is far away, it is at its farthest point. This point is called aphelion. Earth is farthest from the Sun in July.
Other things have different names. The Moon orbits the Earth. Its closest point is called perigee. Its farthest point is called apogee.
These points help us map space. They show how things move around stars and planets.
Space objects move in oval paths. These paths are called ellipses.
Because of this shape, objects do not stay the same distance from their host. They move closer and then they move farther away.
An apsis is a special point on this path. There are two types. One is the nearest point. We call this the periapsis.
The other is the farthest point. This is called the apoapsis. The line that joins these two points is the line of apsides.
Different names are used for different hosts. For the Sun, we use special names. The nearest point is perihelion. The farthest point is aphelion. Earth reaches perihelion in early January. It reaches aphelion in early July.
When things orbit the Earth, the names change. The nearest point is the perigee. The farthest point is the apogee. This is true for the Moon and satellites. Scientists use these names to help map how things move in space.
Space is full of objects moving in oval paths called ellipses. Because these paths are not perfect circles, objects do not stay the same distance from the thing they orbit.
Instead, they move closer and then they move farther away. An apsis is a name for one of these extreme points. There are always two apsides in any elliptical orbit. One is the nearest point, called the periapsis. The other is the farthest point, called the apoapsis. The line connecting these two points is called the line of apsides.
Scientists use different names for these points depending on what is being orbited. They use prefixes to show how close or far an object is. The prefix peri- means near, and the prefix apo- means away from. The end of the word changes based on the host body. For example, the suffix -helion is used for the Sun. This gives us the names perihelion and aphelion.
If an object orbits the Earth, we use the suffix -gee. This creates the terms perigee and apogee. These names help astronomers keep track of many different moving parts in space.
Johannes Kepler was the scientist who created the terms perihelion and aphelion. He used them to describe how planets move around the Sun. He wanted to explain the specific motions of these distant worlds.
Later, other scientists found ways to name orbits for different objects. During the Apollo program, people used the terms pericynthion and apocynthion for the Moon. These names came from Cynthia, a name for the Greek Moon goddess. Today, the Artemis program uses the terms perilune and apolune instead.
Earth has its own specific schedule for these points. Earth reaches perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, in early January. At this time, the center of the Earth is about 147 million kilometers from the Sun. Earth reaches aphelion, its farthest point, in early July. At aphelion, the distance is about 152 million kilometers. These dates can change by a few days each year. This happens because the Moon pulls on the Earth as it moves. Even though we are farther away in July, it is summer in the northern hemisphere. This is because of the tilt of the Earth's axis.
Understanding these points helps us understand how the whole solar system works. We can use these same rules for planets like Jupiter or Mars. We even use them for small things like asteroids and comets. If we look at stars far away, we call the points periastron and apastron. Even scientists studying black holes have special names for these distances. It is all part of the same big map of how things move. By knowing the apsides, we can predict exactly where a spacecraft or a planet will be.
In the vastness of space, most objects do not move in perfect circles. Instead, they follow paths called ellipses, which are shaped like stretched-out circles. Because of this shape, an orbiting body is constantly changing its distance from the object it orbits. The points where the body is at its absolute closest and absolute farthest are known as the apsides.
Understanding these points is essential for orbital mechanics. It allows scientists to predict exactly where a planet, a moon, or a spacecraft will be at any given moment. The line that connects these two extreme points is called the line of apsides.
To understand how this works, we must look at the physics of a two-body system. When two objects orbit one another, they actually both move around a shared center of mass. This shared center is called the barycenter. In many cases, the larger body is so massive that the barycenter stays inside it. For example, the barycenter of the Earth and the Moon is located about 75% of the way from the Earth's center to its surface.
Technically, an apsis is the distance measured between this barycenter and the center of mass of the orbiting body. However, when engineers talk about spacecraft, they often use the term to describe the altitude above the surface of the central body.
Astronomers use a specific naming system to identify these points. The names are built using prefixes and suffixes. The prefix "peri-" means near, while the prefix "apo-" means away from. The suffix changes depending on what the object is orbiting. For instance, the suffix "-helion" refers to the Sun. This gives us the terms perihelion for the closest point and aphelion for the farthest point.
If an object orbits the Earth, we use the suffix "-gee" to create perigee and apogee. When orbiting a star, the suffix "-astron" is used, resulting in periastron and apastron. This logical system allows scientists to communicate clearly about any object in the universe.
These terms were not always used in this way. The famous scientist Johannes Kepler coined the terms perihelion and aphelion. He used them to describe the complex motions of the planets as they moved around the Sun. As space exploration grew, new names were needed for different missions. During the Apollo program, scientists used the terms pericynthion and apocynthion for orbits around the Moon. These names were inspired by Cynthia, an alternative name for the Greek Moon goddess. Today, the Artemis program uses the terms perilune and apolune. Even for extreme objects like black holes, scientists have proposed names like peribothron, using the Greek word for a pit.
Earth provides a perfect example of these orbital mechanics in action. Earth reaches perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, in early January. At this moment, the distance between the centers of the Earth and Sun is approximately 147 million kilometers. Conversely, Earth reaches aphelion in early July. At this farthest point, the distance is about 152 million kilometers.
Interestingly, being closer to the Sun does not cause summer. Our seasons are actually caused by the 23.4° tilt of the Earth's axis. In fact, at aphelion in July, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
The timing of these points is not perfectly fixed every year. The dates can shift by up to three days due to the gravitational influence of the Moon. While the Earth-Moon barycenter moves on a stable path, the Earth itself can shift slightly. This affects the exact timing of the closest approach. Over much longer periods, these dates change due to Milankovitch cycles, which are long-term shifts in Earth's orbit. For example, the next time we will experience a July 3 aphelion is in the year 2060. The next January 2 perihelion will occur in 2089.
This system of apsides applies to almost everything in our solar system. It describes the paths of the inner planets like Mercury and Venus, as well as the outer giants like Jupiter and Neptune. It even applies to smaller objects like asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets such as Ceres. Even the radiation levels change based on these distances. At aphelion, only about 93.55% of the solar radiation reaches a specific area of Earth's surface compared to what it receives at perihelion. By studying these points, we gain a complete map of the movement of our entire celestial neighborhood.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (4)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.