What is the specific term used for the farthest point in Earth's orbit around the Sun?
Answer
Aphelion
In orbital mechanics, there are general terms for the closest (periapsis) and farthest (apoapsis) points relative to any central body. However, when the central body is specifically the Sun, these points receive specialized names derived from the Greek 'Helios' (Sun). The farthest point from the Sun is called Aphelion (the apoapsis for solar orbits). The closest point is Perihelion. For comparison, if the Earth were the central body (e.g., for a satellite orbiting Earth), the farthest point would be Apogee and the closest point would be Perigee. Aphelion marks the point where the Earth is moving at its minimum orbital velocity.
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