Did you know that the Earth reaches its closest point to the Sun about two weeks after the December solstice (December Solstice)? This year, the event called perihelion will occur on January 4, 2022. Besides perihelion, there is also aphelion.
What is Perihelion and Aphelion?
The terms perihelion and aphelion describe different points in the Earth's orbit about the Sun. Remember, the Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit that is an oval, not a circle.
This means that Earth is about 4.9 million km closer to the Sun in January at its closest point than in July at its farthest.
Based on this explanation, aphelion means the point of Earth's orbit that is farthest from the Sun, while perihelion is the point of Earth's orbit closest to the Sun.
The word comes from Ancient Greek, where helios means "Sun", apo means "far", and peri means "near".
Perihelion and Aphelion in 2022
Quoted from Almanac.com, Monday (3/1/2022) in 2022, Earth will be at perihelion on January 4 at 01:52 AM Eastern Time (13:52 noon WIB). While aphelion occurred on July 4 at 03.10 AM Eastern Time (15.10 pm WIB).
This year, Earth will be at a distance of 147.1 million km from the Sun at perihelion and 152.1 million km from the Sun at aphelion.
When is Aphelion and Perihelion?
Aphelion always occurs in early July. About two weeks after the June solstice (June Solstice), the Earth is at its farthest from the Sun.
While Perihelion always occurs in early January. About two weeks after the December Solstice, Earth is closest to the Sun.
Are Aphelion and Perihelion Related to Seasons?
It is not the distance from the Sun that causes the seasons on Earth. Seasons occur because the Earth's axis is tilted. That's because Earth orbits the Sun at an angle so that our planet gets more or less direct sunlight at different times of the year.
