apoapsis

/ ăp′ō-ăp′sĭs /

, Plural apoapsides ăp′ō-ăp′sĭ-dēz′

1. The point at which an orbiting object is farthest away from the body it is orbiting. This point is sometimes given a name that is specific to the body being orbited. For example, the apoapsis of an object orbiting Earth is its apogee (from gaia , the Greek word for Earth), and the apoapsis of an object orbiting the Sun is its aphelion (from hēlios , the Greek word for Sun). According to Kepler's laws of planetary motion , an object is at its lowest velocity at the apoapsis.
2. Compare periapsis