The year just started but just a moment ago (22:49 Universal Time, 5:49 p.m. EST) Earth reached its closest point to the Sun for this year. We are at Earth’s perihelion (Greek peri “near” + helios “sun”).
Nothing extraordinary about this. Earth is closest to the sun every year in early January. This is isn’t why we moved into winter in the Northern Hemisphere. That is from the tilt of the planet, not the distance. In fact, we will be farthest away from the sun in early July, during our summer.
How much closer? About 3 million miles (5 million kilometers) closer. Big numbers but relatively not a big change in distance. Still, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to acknowledge the big star’s presence today. It’s already dark here in Paradelle, but the Sun is out there keeping us alive even on these wintry and cloudy days. Thanks, Helios!
Weekends in Paradelle 