When Is Earth - Closest To The Sun
The Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun in January, meaning its summer coincides with perihelion. This extra solar radiation makes Southern Hemisphere summers theoretically more intense than northern ones.
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In early January, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. This means sunlight hits the ground at a shallower, more indirect angle, which spreads the heat out over a larger area, making the weather colder. The Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun
mean there is simply less time each day for the sun to warm things up. The long nights allow the ground and air to cool down significantly, overcoming the small, extra bit of heat coming from our closer proximity. This means sunlight hits the ground at a
Perihelion is the point in the Earth's orbit when it is closest to the Sun. At this point, the Earth is approximately 91.5 million miles (147 million kilometers) away from the Sun. This occurs when the Earth is on the opposite side of its orbit from the Sun, which happens around early January.
| Event | Date (approx.) | Distance from Sun | Northern Hemisphere Season | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | (Closest) | January 2-5 | ~91.4 million miles | Winter (Cold) | | Aphelion (Farthest) | July 4-7 | ~94.5 million miles | Summer (Hot) |