Earth Closest To Sun Month Perihelion ❲ORIGINAL | BLUEPRINT❳

| Fact | Detail | | :--- | :--- | | | January (usually Jan 3rd or 4th) | | Distance | ~91.4 million miles (147.1 million km) | | Hemisphere Impact | Slightly intensifies Southern Hemisphere summer. | | Visual Change | Sun appears ~3% larger than in July. | | Orbital Speed | Earth is moving at its fastest speed of the year. |

: Astronomers use this term to measure how "squashed" an orbit is. Earth’s eccentricity is low—about 0.0167 —making its path nearly circular. earth closest to sun month perihelion

Every year, while most of the Northern Hemisphere is bundled up against the January chill, a surprising astronomical event occurs: Earth reaches , the point in its orbit where it is physically closest to the sun. | Fact | Detail | | :--- |

Seasons are caused by the (23.5 degrees), not by distance. | : Astronomers use this term to measure

Will perihelion date change over time? A: Very slowly. Due to precession of Earth’s orbit, perihelion shifts about 1 day every 58 years relative to the seasons.