Apogee

Etymology

From Greek apogaion, "away from earth," from apo-, "away from," plus gaia or ge, "earth." In astronomy it names the point in an orbit where a satellite or the Moon is farthest from Earth, opposite the perigee. Figurative use extends the sense of "farthest reach" to the crowning moment of a career or a movement.

noun · /AP-uh-jee/
The highest or most distant point reached — a climax or culmination.
What it names
The farthest, fullest extent of a rise or an orbit; used both technically for a body’s farthest point from Earth and figuratively for a peak achievement.
Example
The festival reached its apogee on the final night, with the largest crowd the town had ever held.
Related idea
Zenith comes from the sky directly overhead; apogee comes from orbital distance, so it subtly stresses the farthest reach of a journey rather than the highest point above one’s head.
noun · /AP-uh-jee/
In astronomy, the point in an orbit at which a body is farthest from the earth.
What it names
the far end of an elliptical orbit — the moon’s or a satellite’s greatest distance
Example
At apogee the moon appears slightly smaller in the sky.
Related idea
The climax sense is borrowed from this orbital extreme; its opposite, the nearest point, is the perigee — as the zenith is answered by the nadir.