[ad_1]
On January 2, 2021, Earth is closer to Sun in its elliptical orbit than on any other day of the year, marking an annual event known as perihelion.
The word perihelion is translated from ancient Greek, which means “near the sun.” According to EarthSky, Earth was expected to reach perihelion on Saturday morning at 8:51 a.m. ET.
Sun it’s about 3% larger in the sky on Saturday, not enough to be noticeable with the naked eye. Remember: you should never look into the sun without proper eye protection, and sunglasses are not a sufficient replacement for sun vision glasses.
Earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle, which means that sometimes the planet is a little closer to our star, and sometimes further away. The distance varies by about 3 million miles throughout the year, almost 13 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
Perihelion also marks the time when the Earth moves at its maximum speed in its orbit around the sun. Currently, the planet orbits the sun at nearly 19 miles per second, about 0.6 miles per second farther than when it reached its furthest point from the sun in July.
“If it runs east at local midnight, it will move as fast as it can (at least in the Sun-centered coordinates) to its location,” NASA said.
Because of this, summer in the Northern Hemisphere lasts about five days longer than winter, according to EarthSky. The opposite is true in the southern hemisphere.
Although sunlight is most intense on Saturday, winter in the Northern Hemisphere is unaffected due to the 23.5-degree tilt of the Earth’s axis. Being closer to the sun doesn’t change the Earth’s tilt, so the North Pole is still tilted in the opposite direction from the sun.
Six months from now, on July 5, the Earth will be farthest from the sun, known as its aphelion, which means “away from the sun.” At perihelion, the Earth is about 91.5 million miles from the sun, and at aphelion, it is about 94.5 million miles away.
Between perihelion and aphelion, there is a difference of approximately 6.7% in the intensity of sunlight when it reaches our planet. According to NASA, this is an explanation for the more extreme seasons in the southern hemisphere compared to the northern hemisphere.
Perihelion is not the only celestial event this weekend. The night from Saturday to Sunday morning also marks the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower – One of the best of the year.
[ad_2]
