perihelion
/ˌpɛɹ.ɪˈhiː.lɪ.ən/
perihelion means the point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, etc., where it is nearest to the Sun.
perihelion is pronounced /ˌpɛɹ.ɪˈhiː.lɪ.ən/.
Why “perihelion” is a great word
The point in the orbit of a celestial body where it is closest to the sun. From New Latin perihelium, from Greek peri- ("around, near") + hēlios ("sun"), modelled after perigee; coined in 1596 by Johannes Kepler. Unlike "aphelion" (its precise opposite, the orbital point of greatest solar distance) or "perigee" (which speaks of nearness to Earth), perihelion is a specific and singular intimacy with our star. It is the comet’s breathless plunge into fire and light, the hurried arc of a planet suddenly quickened, and Earth's own unremarked approach each January—closer by five million kilometers, though we feel nothing. The word carries the quiet tragedy of all nearness: the moment of least distance is also the moment of greatest speed, the orbit flinging you past before arrival can settle into presence.
Etymology
From perihelium (“perihelion”) (obsolete) + -ion (suffix used for other names of apsides). Perihelium is borrowed from Late Latin perihelium, from Ancient Greek περι- (peri-, “around; surrounding”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + ἥλιος (hḗlios, “sun”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ (“sun”)), which was modelled after perigeum (“point in an orbit about the Earth that is closest to the Earth, perigee”).
noun
- The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, etc., where it is nearest to the Sun.“The æquation of the Earth encreaſeth from her Aphelion, until ſhe come to the point where it's greateſt, and from thence it again decreaſeth till ſhe come to her Perihelion, or oppoſite Auge: in like manner it increaſeth from her Perihelion to the point where it's greateſt, and afterwards decreaſeth till ſhe come againe to the Auge or Aphelion, [...]”
- The highest point or state; the peak, zenith.“[T]he magnificence of his compliment had quite shaken the general's [Ulysses S. Grant's] modesty, and that he could only say that France must come to the perihelion of her glory under such rulers as Grevy [i.e., Jules Grévy].”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- aphelion 92% match — The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, or other astronomical object, where it is farthest from the Sun. vs perihelion →
- heliocentrism 83% match — The theory that the sun is the center of the universe. vs perihelion →
- geocentrism 81% match — A belief that the Earth is the center of the universe. vs perihelion →
- planet 81% match — Each of the seven major bodies which move relative to the fixed stars in the night sky—the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. vs perihelion →
- celestial 80% match — Of, relating to, or located in the sky or outer space, where the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars are visible. vs perihelion →
- syzygy 80% match — An alignment of three celestial bodies (for example, the Sun, Earth, and Moon) such that one body is directly between the other two, such as occurs at an eclipse. vs perihelion →
- midwinter 80% match — The middle of winter. vs perihelion →
- copernicanism 79% match — Belief in, or advocacy of the heliocentric model of the solar system vs perihelion →