What is Apogee?

Apogee is a point in which the body is in its farthest orbit from the ground. The opposite of Apogee, the point at which the orbiting body closest to the ground is perige. Apogee is a term specific to Earth and there are other terms for different heavenly bodies. A specific general term for the furthest point is Apoapsis and the term for the nearest point is periapes. For objects orbiting the sun, the term Aphelion is used to describe the farthest point, while Perihelion describes the closest.

The word apogee comes from the Greek prefix apo- away 'and the word Gaia Earth'. Apogee is the French derivative of the Latin term apogaeum of Ptolemy The rivers apogaion .

When the body is in Apogee, it is also at its minimum orbital speed. IF Orbit is perceived as a pendulum similar to a pendulum, it is easy to visualize. As the object disappears from the center of the orbit, its speed slows down until the apogee reaches and turns its course. In Apogee is his KineTical energy at the minimum point and its potential energy is at its maximum. On the contrary, when the object is in Perige, it has its greatest kinetic energy and the smallest energy and is at its top speed.

Apogee of many bodies is not a fixed number, although it tends to be very close to each orbit. For example, when apogee months occur during a new or full moon, the distance is greater than ever. The top apogees for the Moon include August 4, 2005, when the Moon Apogee was 406 628 km (252 667 miles) and 22 September 2006, when the Apogee is 406 499 km (252 587 million). On the other hand, the perigees of the Moon decrease in the range of 356,410 km (221,460 Miles).