apoapsis

apoapsis  (p-pss)

Plural apoapsides (p-ps-dz)

The point at which an orbiting object is farthest away from the body it is orbiting. This point is sometimes given a name that is specific to the body being orbited. For example, the apoapsis of an object orbiting Earth is its apogee (from gaia, the Greek word for Earth), and the apoapsis of an object orbiting the Sun is its aphelion (from hlios, the Greek word for Sun). According to Kepler's laws of planetary motion, an object is at its lowest velocity at the apoapsis. Compare periapsis.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

apoapsis - (astronomy) the point in an orbit farthest from the body being orbited point of apoapsis astronomy, uranology - the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole apogee - apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth aphelion - apoapsis in solar orbit; the point in the orbit of a planet or comet that is at the greatest distance from the sun apojove - apoapsis in orbit around Jupiter apolune, aposelene - apoapsis in orbit around the moon celestial point - a point in the heavens (on the celestial sphere) celestial orbit, orbit - the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another; "he plotted the orbit of the moon" periapsis, point of periapsis - (astronomy) the point in an orbit closest to the body being orbited