pericenter

pericenter

(pe -ră-sen-ter) The point in an orbit, e.g. of a planet or of a component of a binary star, that is nearest to the center of mass of the system. The farthest point is the apocenter.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

pericenter

[′per·ə‚sen·tər]

(physics)

That point on any orbit nearest to the center of attraction.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Pericenter

 

the point in the orbit of a celestial body closest to the central body around which the first body revolves. The term “pericenter” is used in problems in celestial mechanics where the central body is not specified, as well as in the case of orbits circumscribed by the sun and other stars around the center of the Galaxy. In other cases, the terms “periastron,” “perigee,” and “perihelion” are used.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.