OUR PLANET IS CLOSEST TO THE SUN IN JANUARY
By Meteorologist Randy Mann
Article published on January 2, 2024
On January 2 at 4:38pm, according to timeanddate.com, our planet will be at the point in its orbit when it’s closest to the Sun, which is called the “perihelion.” The word comes from Greek and means “around the sun.” By contrast, the “aphelion” is when the Earth is farthest from the Sun in its orbit. This will occur on July 4 at 10:06pm. Instead of a circular orbit, the Earth has an elliptical one. Therefore, at its closest point, the Earth is approximately 91.4 million miles from the Sun. At its farthest location, we’re about 94.5 million miles from the Sun, a difference of just over 3 million miles.
As I’ve mentioned previously, we have the seasons because the earth is tilted on its axis by approximately 23.5 degrees. At this time of year, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, which is also why we have shorter daylight hours and a lower sun angle.
By the start of summer on June 20, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, allowing us to receive more direct solar radiation and hotter weather, despite being farther away from the Sun. Scientists claim that the distance from the Sun has very little to do with seasonal changes in temperature and may have only very minor influence, if any, on the extreme weather.
However, there are recent studies that indicate that the current perihelion likely moderates the seasonal variations in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months. However, by contrast, the intensity of the sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere is higher by 7 percent as this is their summer season. With a more intense Sun combined with large ozone hole over Antarctica, skin cancer rates in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in Australia, are some of the highest in the world.
According to timeanddate.com, the dates of the perihelion or aphelion will drift by a day on average every 58 years. Therefore, the website states that the December Solstice, our first day of winter, was on the same day as the Earth’s perihelion in 1246. Approximately 4,000 years from today, the perihelion is expected to occur around March 21, the first day of spring.
