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aphelion

noun
aph·​elion | \ a-ˈfÄ“l-yÉ™n How to pronounce aphelion (audio) , ËŒap-ˈhÄ“l- How to pronounce aphelion (audio) \
plural aphelia\ a-​ˈfÄ“l-​yÉ™ How to pronounce aphelia (audio) , ËŒap-​ˈhÄ“l-​ \

Definition of aphelion

: the point farthest from the sun in the path of an orbiting celestial body (such as a planet) — compare perihelion
Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about aphelion

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Did You Know?

Aphelion and perihelion are troublesome terms. Which one means a planet is nearest to the sun and which means it is farthest away? An etymology lesson may help you keep those words straight. Just remember that the "ap" of aphelion derives from a Latin prefix that means "away from" (the mnemonic "'A' for 'away'" can help too); peri-, on the other hand, means "near." And how are aphelion and perihelion related to the similar-looking astronomical pair, apogee and perigee? Etymology explains again. The "helion" of aphelion and perihelion is based on the Greek word hēlios, meaning "sun," while the "gee" of apogee and perigee is based on gaia, meaning "earth." The first pair describes distance in relation to the sun, the second in relation to the earth.

Examples of aphelion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Mars’ orbit is more elliptical than Earth’s, so the difference between perihelion and aphelion is greater. — Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Mars is going to be really bright for the rest of the summer," 11 July 2018 Over the past centuries, Mars’ orbit has been getting more and more elongated, carrying the planet even nearer to the sun at perihelion and even farther away at aphelion. — Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Mars is going to be really bright for the rest of the summer," 11 July 2018 Image On Friday, Earth will swing toward the outermost point in its orbit, known as aphelion. — Shannon Hall, New York Times, "Never Mind the Summer Heat: Earth Is at Its Greatest Distance From the Sun," 5 July 2018 After orbiting the Earth for 6 hours, a third-stage burn-to-depletion was completed at approximately 02:30 UTC Feb 7, placing the dummy payload in a heliocentric orbit having a perihelion of 0.99 au and aphelion ~1.7 au. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "We Know Exactly Where Musk’s Space Tesla Is Going," 8 Feb. 2018 Confirming the rocket firing, SpaceX released initial data indicating the Roadster was headed for an elliptical orbit around the sun with a high point, or aphelion, out in the asteroid belt, well beyond the orbit of Mars. — William Harwood, CBS News, ""Starman" and Tesla heading for deep space," 7 Feb. 2018 Each year, during wintertime in the northern hemisphere, the Earth reaches its closest point to the sun, or perihelion, and during the northern hemisphere summer the Earth hits the farthest point from the sun, or aphelion. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "One Day There Will Be No More Total Solar Eclipses," 18 Aug. 2017 Earth reaches aphelion July 3, the most distant spot on its imperfect, annual orbit around the sun. — Blaine P. Friedlander Jr., Washington Post, "Skywatch: Jupiter and Saturn entertain the evening crowd and Venus provides morning pageantry," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aphelion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of aphelion

1656, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for aphelion

New Latin, from apo- + Greek hēlios sun — more at solar

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More from Merriam-Webster on aphelion

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with aphelion

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about aphelion

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