Aphelion
/əˈfiː.li.ən/noun
The point in an orbit where a body is farthest from the Sun.
Did you know?Aphelion was coined in the 17th century from Greek roots, and its sibling term perihelion means the opposite: the closest point to the Sun.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
apḗlios / apḗlion
“from the Sun; away from the Sun”
17th Century
New Latin
aphelium
“astronomical term for the point of an orbit farthest from the Sun”
17th–18th Century
English
aphelion
“the point in a planet's orbit farthest from the Sun”
Modern English
English
aphelion
“the farthest point from the Sun in an orbit”
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