aphelion
noun
ASTRONOMY
the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is farthest from the sun.
perihelion
noun
ASTRONOMY
the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sun.
Happy Aphelion Day.
Today at 2:06 p.m. Pacific time, Earth was at the outermost point in its (slightly elliptical) orbit around our Sun, known as aphelion.
We are all some 3 million miles farther from our Sun today than when we were closest* to it in January (the date changes slightly from year to year). It doesn’t feel like it here in the Northern hemisphere, but Earth is in fact receiving 7% less direct sunlight than it does in January.
(Seasons on Earth are the result of changes in the amount of direct sunlight as the planet is tilted toward and away from the sun, and not a result of its orbital path).
*Earth’s average distance from the sun is about 93 million miles.
[Infographic from timeanddate.com]