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perihelion

American  
[per-uh-hee-lee-uhn, -heel-yuhn] / ˌpɛr əˈhi li ən, -ˈhil jən /

noun

Astronomy.
perihelia plural
  1. the point in the orbit of a planet or comet at which it is nearest to the sun.


perihelion British  
/ ˌpɛrɪˈhiːlɪən /

noun

  1. the point in its orbit when a planet or comet is nearest the sun Compare aphelion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

perihelion Scientific  
/ pĕr′ə-hēlē-ən /
  1. The point at which an orbiting object, such as a planet or a comet, is closest to the Sun.

  2. Compare aphelion perigee


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of perihelion

1660–70; < Greek peri- peri- + hḗli ( os ) sun + -on neuter noun suffix, on the model of perigee; earlier in the New Latin form perihelium

Compare meaning

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Dr Balaji said opportunities to spot the comet may occur "in the days around perihelion, depending on local conditions and the comet's behaviour".

From BBC Jan. 13, 2025

PSP uses a series of Venus flyby's to gradually reduce its perihelion from 36 solar radii in 2018 to 9.5 in 2025.

From Science Daily Mar. 27, 2024

Even as the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter’s chill, our planet on Tuesday, depending on your time zone, will be at perihelion, the closest it gets to the sun during its elliptical orbit.

From New York Times Jan. 1, 2024

The most surprising thing about this cycle, though, is probably when its extremes occur on the calendar: perihelion is in January every year, while aphelion is in July.

From Scientific American Jun. 30, 2023

From the immense rapidity of its motion as it approaches its perihelion, it is probable that it is a comet of very long period.

From Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume II (of 2) A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day by Anonymous

This comet, therefore, which, according to Goldschmidt, passes beyond the orbit of Jupiter, is one of the few whose perihelia are beyond Mars.

From COSMOS: A Sketch of the Physical Description of the Universe, Vol. 1 by Humboldt, Alexander von

The art has also been applied to the observation of comets at distances from their perihelia so great as to prevent their visual observation.

From History of Astronomy by Forbes, George

The extremes of temperature at perihelia and aphelia to which comets are subjected did not bother him particularly.

From Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies by Todd, David Peck

In recent years a few have been discovered which are at times considerably within the orbit of Mars, the nearest perihelia being less than 15 million miles beyond the earth's orbit.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2 Amiel to Atrauli by Various

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