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Multiple Choice

The farthest point in the Moon's orbit from Earth is called which term?

Think of the Moon’s orbit as an ellipse around Earth with two special points. The closest point to Earth is called perigee, and the farthest point is called apogee. For the Moon, apogee is the moment when it is farthest away from Earth, while perigee is when it is closest. The other terms, perihelion and aphelion, relate to orbits around the Sun, not Earth, so they don’t apply to the Moon’s distance from Earth. So the farthest point in the Moon’s orbit from Earth is apogee. The distance at apogee is typically about 405,000 km, versus about 360,000 km at perigee.

Think of the Moon’s orbit as an ellipse around Earth with two special points. The closest point to Earth is called perigee, and the farthest point is called apogee. For the Moon, apogee is the moment when it is farthest away from Earth, while perigee is when it is closest. The other terms, perihelion and aphelion, relate to orbits around the Sun, not Earth, so they don’t apply to the Moon’s distance from Earth. So the farthest point in the Moon’s orbit from Earth is apogee. The distance at apogee is typically about 405,000 km, versus about 360,000 km at perigee.