perihelion

Noun

perihelion (plural perihelia or (deprecated) perihelions)

1. The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, etc., where it is nearest to the Sun.
   • The æquation of the Earth encreaſeth from her Aphelion, until ſhe come to the point where it's greateſt, and from thence it again decreaſeth till ſhe come to her Perihelion, or oppoſite Auge: in like manner it increaſeth from her Perihelion to the point where it's greateſt, and afterwards...1656, Vincent Wing, “Of the Annuall Motion of the Earth”, in Astronomia Instaurata: Or, A New and Compendius Restauration of Astronomie. […], London: […] R. and W. Leybourn, for the Company of...
   • They [the best astronomers of this age] all agree that the Planets turn in ſo many Ellipſes, of which the Sun is the focus; the reaſon of it is, that they are obſerved to be in ſome points called Perihelia, nearer to the Sun, and, in the oppoſite points call'd Aphelia, farther from it; which could...1693 April 4, J. de la Crose [i.e., Jean Cornand de Lacroze], “Letter XIII. To the Honourable Sir Edwin Sadler.”, in Memoirs for the Ingenious. Containing Several Curious Observations in Philosophy...

   Synonyms:

   ϖ

   Antonyms:

   aphelion

2. (figuratively) The highest point or state; the peak, zenith.
   • [T]he magnificence of his compliment had quite shaken the general's [Ulysses S. Grant's] modesty, and that he could only say that France must come to the perihelion of her glory under such rulers as Grevy [i.e., Jules Grévy].1881 July, “Pot-pourri”, in Potter’s American Monthly: An Illustrated Magazine of History, Literature, Science and Art, volume XVII, number 115, Philadelphia, Pa.: John E. Potter & Company, […]...
   • This brilliant trick was the invention of the late Dr. Hofzinzer, of Vienna, who, at the perihelion of his fame, was regarded as the greatest card conjurer in the world.1909 January, T[homas] Nelson Downs, “Card-tricks Involving Sleight of Hand”, in John Northern Hilliard, editor, The Art of Magic, Buffalo, N.Y.: The Downs-Edwards Company, →OCLC, page 44

   Synonyms:

   acme, apex, zenith, apogee, apotheosis, ascendance, capstone, climax, coronation, crown