periapsis

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periapsis

noun periapsides · periapsises · periapses

The point of a body's (elliptical) orbit in a 2-body gravitational system such that the distance between the two bodies (measured from their respective centres of mass) is at its minimum. 1983, Richard O. Fimmel, Laurence Colin, Eric Burgess, Pioneer Venus, NASA SP-461, page 109, Figure 5-19. Sun-Venus-Orbiter geometry illustrates how the periapsis moves around the planet during the Venusian sidereal year to sample day and night hemispheres. Because the planet rotates in a retrograde
The minimum distance between the two bodies in such a system.

Similar: pericenter, periapse · Opposite: apoapsis

Thesaurus

noun

Similar: pericenter, periapse · Opposite: apoapsis

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noun Translations

Português	periapside
Français	périapse, périapside
Ελληνικά	περίαψη períapsi

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MLA

"periapsis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/periapsis. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

periapsis. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/periapsis

Chicago

"periapsis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/periapsis.

BibTeX

@misc{periapsis_2026,
  title = {periapsis},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/periapsis},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}