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The northern hemisphere remains in the grip of winter, with countries like the UK facing freezing snow and ice conditions. So some might be surprised to learn that our planet is now at its closest point to the Sun all year round – a phenomenon known as perihelion.
Perihelion is the precise period when the orbit of the Earth approaches its closest point to the star in our solar system.
The word “perihelion” is derived from the Greek words “peri” – meaning “near” – and “helios” – meaning “sun”.
At 13:51 GMT on Saturday, January 2, our world is positioned exactly 91,399,453 miles (147,093,162 million km) from the Sun.
It’s about three percent closer than average, so the Earth receives a lot more radiation in the form of heat from the Sun.
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As a result, the Sun will also be almost imperceptibly larger in our daytime sky.
US space agency NASA said in a statement: “The average distance between the Earth and the Sun is called an astronomical unit. [AU], but since our orbit is not a perfect circle, it sometimes means that we are a little closer to the Sun, and sometimes further.
“In fact, our distance from the Sun varies by about three million kilometers during the year.
“It’s almost 13 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
Earth is known to rotate on an axis titled 23.44 degrees – a tilt responsible for allocating the amount of sunlight that each hemisphere on Earth receives at different times of the year.
This is both in terms of the length of the days and the height or height of the sun hanging in the heavens.
This obliquity is the key factor responsible for the seasons and solstices.
A bit counterintuitive, although perihelion means the Earth receives more radiation from the Sun, the Earth is actually at its coldest during this time.
This is because most of the southern hemisphere are oceans, which absorb extra heat, negating the impact of perihelion.
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