Happy Perihelion Day 2020! Earth Is Closest to the Sun Today

I don't know if it makes a difference in Australia during the summer months being a little closer to the sun, but making the season a little shorter as we speed up when going around the sun ,much like NASA uses planetary bodies to sling shot probes to other planets.

But, this doesn't cause our seasons, as that is caused by the Earth's tilt. No relation what so ever.

There's nothing unusual about the planet being a little closer to the sun; it's a normal occurrence that happens near the start of the calendar year. Earth travels in an elliptical orbit, so its distance from the sun changes throughout its 365.25 day journey. (Side note: the quarter days are what prompt a leap year every four years.)

Earth reaches perihelion — the term for its closest approach to the sun — on Sunday (Jan. 5) at 2:48 a.m. EST (0748 GMT), according to EarthSky.org. For those living on the U.S. West Coast, the moment occurs on Jan. 4 at 11:48 p.m. PST. Half a year later, on July 4, Earth will reach aphelion — its most distant point from the sun.

www.space.com...


www.theplanetstoday.com...

a reply to: Groot
Yay!

originally posted by: Groot
I don't know if it makes a difference in Australia during the summer months being a little closer to the sun, but making the season a little shorter as we speed up when going around the sun ,much like NASA uses planetary bodies to sling shot probes to other planets.

But, this doesn't cause our seasons, as that is caused by the Earth's tilt. No relation what so ever.

There's nothing unusual about the planet being a little closer to the sun; it's a normal occurrence that happens near the start of the calendar year. Earth travels in an elliptical orbit, so its distance from the sun changes throughout its 365.25 day journey. (Side note: the quarter days are what prompt a leap year every four years.)

Earth reaches perihelion — the term for its closest approach to the sun — on Sunday (Jan. 5) at 2:48 a.m. EST (0748 GMT), according to EarthSky.org. For those living on the U.S. West Coast, the moment occurs on Jan. 4 at 11:48 p.m. PST. Half a year later, on July 4, Earth will reach aphelion — its most distant point from the sun.

www.space.com...

www.theplanetstoday.com...

My first day back at work after the break. Now I have good reason for it to seem so long.