The point in the Moon’s orbit closest to Earth is called perigee. The Moon’s orbit is slightly elliptical rather than perfectly circular, so its distance from Earth changes during each revolution. At average perigee, the Moon is about 363,300 kilometers from Earth’s center; at apogee, its farthest point, it is about 405,500 kilometers away.
The names follow a useful naming pattern. For Earth-centered orbits, “peri-” means near and “-gee” refers to Earth, producing perigee. “Apo-” means away, giving apogee. These terms are different from perihelion and aphelion, which describe the nearest and farthest points in an orbit around the Sun.
When a full Moon occurs near perigee, it can appear slightly larger and brighter than a full Moon near apogee. This is commonly called a supermoon, although the scientific term perigee-syzygy is more precise. The Moon’s orbital ellipse also slowly changes orientation, completing an apsidal precession cycle in about 8.85 years.