perihelion
noun
peri·he·lion ˌper-ə-ˈhēl-yən 
plural perihelia ˌper-ə-ˈhēl-yə
: the point nearest to the sun in the path of an orbiting celestial body (such as a planet) compare aphelion
perihelial
ˌper-ə-ˈhēl-yəl
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Earth makes its closest past on Jan. 4, which is called perihelion. 
Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, 4 July 2022 The videos were captured during the probe’s first close perihelion passages. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 20 May 2022 Though perihelion occurs during winter in the Northern Hemisphere and aphelion occurs during summer, Earth's elliptical orbit around the sun does not cause the seasons. NBC News, 5 Jan. 2022 In short, the upcoming perihelion of Sedna is a rare opportunity to study a proper deep space object that spends much of its time in the outer reaches of our Solar System—and possibly even the Oort Cloud. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2022 At perihelion, Earth is roughly 91.4 million miles away from the sun. NBC News, 5 Jan. 2022 Earth reached its closest point to the sun Tuesday at 1:52 a.m. EST, a configuration known as perihelion. NBC News, 5 Jan. 2022 The notes document the duo's effort to confirm that Mercury’s perihelion, the point at which a planet is closest to the sun, changes over time due to the curvature of spacetime. NBC News, 23 Nov. 2021 Hundreds or even thousands of meteors an hour occur when the comet's peak aligns with the comet's perihelion. Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE.com, 6 Oct. 2021 See More
Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, 4 July 2022 The videos were captured during the probe’s first close perihelion passages. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 20 May 2022 Though perihelion occurs during winter in the Northern Hemisphere and aphelion occurs during summer, Earth's elliptical orbit around the sun does not cause the seasons. NBC News, 5 Jan. 2022 In short, the upcoming perihelion of Sedna is a rare opportunity to study a proper deep space object that spends much of its time in the outer reaches of our Solar System—and possibly even the Oort Cloud. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2022 At perihelion, Earth is roughly 91.4 million miles away from the sun. NBC News, 5 Jan. 2022 Earth reached its closest point to the sun Tuesday at 1:52 a.m. EST, a configuration known as perihelion. NBC News, 5 Jan. 2022 The notes document the duo's effort to confirm that Mercury’s perihelion, the point at which a planet is closest to the sun, changes over time due to the curvature of spacetime. NBC News, 23 Nov. 2021 Hundreds or even thousands of meteors an hour occur when the comet's peak aligns with the comet's perihelion. Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE.com, 6 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from peri- + Greek hēlios sun — more at solar
First Known Use
1666, in the meaning defined above