Perigee
Meaning
Perigee is the point in the orbit of an object, such as the Moon or an artificial satellite, where it is closest to the Earth.
Origin
The word "perigee" draws its essence directly from the ancient Greek, a language that birthed much of our scientific vocabulary. It fuses "peri-", meaning 'around' or 'near,' with "gē" (γῆ), which signifies 'Earth.' So, the word quite literally translates to 'near Earth.' While ancient astronomers observed the moon's changing distance, the formal term found its scientific footing in English during the 17th century. This was a time when stargazers and natural philosophers, armed with new telescopes and mathematical insights, meticulously mapped celestial movements, precisely defining the point where an orbiting body swings closest to our home planet.
Examples
- The moon reaches its perigee tonight, appearing slightly larger and brighter in the sky.
- Engineers carefully calculated the satellite's perigee to ensure it didn't encounter too much atmospheric drag.