EARTH CLOSEST POINT TO THE SUN THIS YEAR

Sunday the Earth was closest to the Sun as it passed by on its elliptical orbit. Each winter when we are cold here in the Northern Hemisphere the Earth is actually 91 million miles away from the sun. This is the closest it will get to the Sun. It is called the perihelion and happens every year early in January. Six months later around July 4th, the aphelion, occurs when the Earth is at the farthest point. Even though the Earth is 3% closer to the Sun in the winter, it is colder here in Jacksonville because of the planets tilted axis. The tilt causes seasons which overrides any effect of the slightly more intense sunlight due to perihelion.

We are also speeding around the sun faster now than in summer.

When the Earth rounds the Sun it picks up speed as it gets closer to the sun due its increase in gravity. The Earth's orbit slows down in Summer around the Aphelion. So the next time you are stuck in traffic, it might make you feel better to know you are actually speeding through the cosmos at about 66,000 miles an hour.