When Earth Is Closest To Sun <Bonus Inside>

The moment when Earth is closest to the Sun is called . Here is everything you need to know about this annual cosmic event.

Earth reaches perihelion once every 365.25 days. Currently, this occurs in , usually about two weeks after the Winter Solstice. when earth is closest to sun

The date of perihelion isn't fixed forever. Due to a phenomenon called (the slow wobble of Earth’s axis) and the gravitational pull of other planets, the date of perihelion shifts forward through the calendar by about one day every 70 to 100 years. In the distant past (around 1246 AD), perihelion coincided exactly with the December Solstice. In several thousand years, perihelion will actually occur during the Northern Hemisphere’s spring. The moment when Earth is closest to the Sun is called

, not its distance from the Sun, is the primary driver of the seasons. In January, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, causing sunlight to hit at a shallower angle and for shorter periods. National Geographic +2 Upcoming Perihelion Dates Because Earth's orbit is influenced by the gravitational pull of other planets, the exact timing of perihelion varies slightly each year. Time and Date +1 Year Date Time (UTC) 2026 January 3 17:16 2027 January 3 02:33 2028 January 5 12:28 2029 January 2 18:13 Would you like to know more about how Currently, this occurs in , usually about two