- published: 13 Dec 2013
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An apsis (Greek ἁψίς, gen. ἁψίδος), plural apsides ( /ˈæpsɨdiːz/; Greek: ἁψίδες), is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system. Historically, in geocentric systems, apsides were measured from the center of the Earth.
The point of closest approach (the point at which two bodies are the closest) is called the periapsis or pericentre, from Greek περί, peri, around, and κέντρον kentron. The point of farthest excursion is called the apoapsis (ἀπό, apó, "from", apocentre or apapsis [from ἀπ-, ap-, before an unaspirated, or ἀφ-, aph-, before an aspirated vowel, respectively]), (the latter term, although etymologically more correct, is much less used). A straight line drawn through the periapsis and apoapsis is the line of apsides. This is the major axis of the ellipse, the line through the longest part of the ellipse.
Derivative terms are used to identify the body being orbited. The most common are perigee /ˈpɛrɨdʒiː/ and apogee /ˈæpɵdʒiː/, referring to orbits around the Earth (Greek γῆ, gê, "earth"), and perihelion /ˌpɛrɨˈhiːliən/ and aphelion /əˈfiːliən/, referring to orbits around the Sun (Greek ἥλιος, hēlios, "sun"). During the Apollo program, the terms pericynthion and apocynthion were used when referring to the Moon.
Here we sit
In the circle of death
The five pointed leaf
Drops the powder of life
Two are left
The keef has spoken
The pain is gone
Power of the powder toker
H.P. Keefmaker