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So the next time you’re bundling up against January cold, remember: paradoxically, our planet is making its annual closest approach to the Sun. It’s a wonderful reminder that in space, things aren’t always as they seem on the ground.
This elliptical path is caused by the gravitational pull of other planets, primarily Jupiter and Saturn, which tug on Earth and prevent its orbit from being perfectly circular. This variation in distance is known as . While the 3-million-mile difference between January and July sounds massive, it only represents about a 3% change in distance, which isn't enough to override the effects of the Earth's tilt. Fast Facts About Perihelion during what month is the earth closest to the sun
Earth reaches perihelion annually in the month of . So the next time you’re bundling up against
