Perigee is the name given to the closest point the Moon reaches to planet Earth.
The perigee can be applied to any celestial star, indicating that it is at the closest point to the Earth in relation to its orbit.
However, the lunar perigee it is the most common in astronomical studies. When this event happens, at the same time that the moon is in its “full” phase, a phenomenon called supermoon.
At full moon in perigee (or supermoon), Earth's natural satellite appears to be approximately 14% larger. than normal, plus 30% brighter depending on the atmospheric conditions of the observation site.
Learn more about the meaning of supermoon.
In the lunar perigee, planet Earth is at the shortest possible distance from the Moon, around 360,000 kilometers. To give you an idea, at the height – the furthest point between the Earth and the Moon – the distance increases to 405 thousand kilometers, almost 50 thousand kilometers apart.
The moon does not have a circular, but an elliptical orbit, for this reason the perigee phenomenon is possible. If the Moon's motion were circular, for example, the distance between the two celestial bodies would always remain constant.
To complete a complete orbit around the Earth, the Moon takes approximately 28 days, and in certain periods it is close to our planet, and more distant in others.
perigee and apogee
Apogee and perigee are both concepts of astronomy, however with different definitions.
The apogee (or apoastro) is the opposite phenomenon to the perigee, that is, when the Moon is at the furthest point from Earth.
Find out more about the meaning of apogee.
