Luanne Rice

During one new moon at perigee, I stood on high ground, watching salt ponds overflow, cover the beach, and meet the ocean. Because the moon was invisible, the water was black as it drowned the sand, and the event felt primal - which in fact it was, because it was nature.

American Novelist

Perigee relates to specific orbital terms; knowing these helps in scientific and space-related contexts.

Orbital Terms

Perigee is technical; use it when talking about astronomy, space science, or physics.

Technical Vocabulary

Remember, perigee signifies the closest point; it's about proximity between earth and an orbiting body.

Closest Approach

 but we leave the second stage in this highly elliptical orbit. And at the perigee of the orbit, or the lowest point, it dips into the Earth's atmosphere and basically burns back up. So now we're left with this little kick stage, that white thing on the corner of the screen. It's got its own propulsion system, and we use it to raise and trim the orbit