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perilune / apolune
Jul. 18th, 2012 07:11 amperilune (PER-i-loon) - n., the point in a lunar orbit that is nearest to the moon.
apolune (AP-uh-loon) - n., the point in a lunar orbit that is furthest from the moon.
The two apsides when the body orbited is the moon -- there are terms specific to many other bodies. Also sometimes called periselene and aposelene in order to avoid mixing Greek and Latin roots -- namely, peri- from perí, adv. and prep. meaning near/about and apo- from apó, verbal prefix meaning away/apart + luna, moon. Coined in the late 1960s as part of the Apollo program, fwiw.
---L.
apolune (AP-uh-loon) - n., the point in a lunar orbit that is furthest from the moon.
The two apsides when the body orbited is the moon -- there are terms specific to many other bodies. Also sometimes called periselene and aposelene in order to avoid mixing Greek and Latin roots -- namely, peri- from perí, adv. and prep. meaning near/about and apo- from apó, verbal prefix meaning away/apart + luna, moon. Coined in the late 1960s as part of the Apollo program, fwiw.
---L.
