As we go about our daily lives, it's easy to assume that the Earth's distance from the Sun is constant. However, the reality is that our planet's orbit around the Sun is not a perfect circle, but an ellipse. This means that the distance between the Earth and the Sun varies throughout the year. But which month is the Earth closest to the Sun?
If we are closest to the Sun in January, why is the Northern Hemisphere shoveling snow and wearing parkas? which month is the earth closest to the sun
This specific point in our orbit is called . During this time, the Earth is about 91.4 million miles (147.1 million kilometers) away from the Sun. As we go about our daily lives, it's
It’s a common logical leap, but it happens to be completely wrong. But which month is the Earth closest to the Sun
The key to understanding this lies in the geometry of Earth’s orbit. Contrary to a perfect circle, Earth’s path around the Sun is a slight ellipse, as described by Johannes Kepler in the early 17th century. This means the distance between the two bodies varies over the course of a year. The point of closest approach is known as (from the Greek peri , meaning “near,” and helios , meaning “sun”), while the farthest point is aphelion . Currently, perihelion occurs approximately two weeks after the December solstice, typically on January 3rd or 4th. On this day, Earth is about 147.1 million kilometers (91.4 million miles) from the Sun, which is roughly 2.5 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) closer than at aphelion in early July.