An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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Relating to an → apsis.

→ apsis; → -al.

→ Rotation of the → line of apsides in the plane of the orbit in the same direction as the → revolution of the → secondary body. The major axis of the Earth's orbit rotates by 11.6 arcseconds per year.

→ apsidal; → motion.

→ advance of perihelion, → relativistic precession.

→ apsidal; → precession.

The → rotation of the Moon's → orbit within the → orbital plane, whereby the axes of the ellipse change direction. The Moon's → major axis makes one complete revolution every 8.85 Earth years, or 3,232.6054 days, as it rotates slowly in the same direction as the Moon itself (direct, or → prograde motion). The Moon's apsidal precession is a → relativistic effect, and should not be confused with its → axial procession.

→ Moon; → apsidal; → precession.