In molecular orbital theory, the energy of the antibonding orbital compared to the bonding orbital is?

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When two atomic orbitals combine, one resulting molecular orbital is formed from in-phase overlap (bonding) and the other from out-of-phase overlap (antibonding). The bonding orbital has increased electron density between the nuclei, which strengthens the attraction between the electrons and nuclei and lowers the overall energy of the system. The antibonding orbital, on the other hand, has a node between the nuclei where electron density is reduced, reducing stabilization and increasing electron–nucleus repulsion in that region. This makes the antibonding orbital higher in energy than the bonding orbital. So, the energy of the antibonding orbital is higher than that of the bonding orbital.