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Perihelion |
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perihelion (pĕr'əhē`lēən), point nearest the sun in the orbit of a body about the sun. See apsis apsis (pl. apsides), point in the orbit of a body where the body is neither approaching nor receding from another body about which it revolves. Any elliptical orbit has two apsides.
..... Click the link for more information. . perihelion the point in its orbit when a planet or comet is nearest the sun perihelion [¦per·ə¦hēl·yən] (astronomy) That orbital point nearest the sun when the sun is the center of attraction. Perihelion the point nearest the sun in the orbit of a celestial body moving around the sun in a conic section—an ellipse, parabola, or hyperbola. Because of perturbations caused by the planets, perihelion positions change. For the planet closest to the sun, Mercury, a perihelion shift has been detected that arises in accordance with the more precise law of gravitation that follows from the general theory of relativity. The distance from perihelion to the center of the sun is called the perihelion distance. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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