perihelio
/ˌpeˈɾjeljo/masculine
The English word 'perihelion' is translated into Spanish as perihelio.
perihelio refers to the point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, etc., where it is nearest to the Sun. In formal contexts, you can express this concept by saying El momento en que un cuerpo celeste se acerca más al sol.
Meaning: point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, etc., where it is nearest to the Sun (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of perihelio is perihelios.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌpeˈɾjeljo/
Did you know?
- The term perihelio belongs to a family of 'peri-' words in Spanish, such as perigeo, which describes the point nearest to the Earth rather than the Sun.
- The Spanish term for the opposite point, 'aphelion', is afelio, following the same predictable pattern of prefix replacement.
- While 'perihelion' is a standard scientific term in English, a Spanish speaker might use the more descriptive phrase punto más cercano al Sol in casual conversation.
Examples in context
- Según los cálculos, el cometa se acerca más al sol en el perihelio.According to the calculations, the comet gets closer to the sun at perihelion.
- En el perihelio, la Tierra experimenta su punto más cercano al sol.At perihelion, the Earth experiences its closest point to the sun.
- El planeta alcanzó su perihelio ayer.The planet reached its perihelion yesterday.
- La velocidad aumenta cerca del perihelio.The speed increases near the perihelion.
- Calculamos la fecha exacta del perihelio.We calculated the exact date of the perihelion.
Example conversation
Two astronomy students are discussing planetary orbits in a library.
- LucíaMira este gráfico sobre el perihelio.Look at this graph about the perihelion.
- AlejandroEs fascinante cómo cambia la velocidad allí.It is fascinating how the speed changes there.
- LucíaSí, el planeta acelera al llegar al perihelio.Yes, the planet accelerates upon reaching perihelion.
- AlejandroTienes razón, Lucía, es muy interesante.You are right, Lucía, it is very interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “perihelion” translations and entries perihelio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
