Earth closest to the Sun today

Today, January the 4th, is the day when the Earth is in the closest position to the Sun, the Armenian Astronomical Society says in a statement.


The phenomenon, known as perihelion, causes changes in the angular sizes of the Sun, making the Moon cover, totally or partially,
the Sun’s disc during a solar eclipse (which may correspondingly be full or partial).


There is a wrong opinion that the seasonal shifts are due to the changes between the Earth and Sun’s distance, but that difference is said to be only three percent, which cannot essentially affect the degree of the warmth the Sun gives to the planet. The Earth is closer to the Sun in winter and farther in summer. That is why, the difference between summer and winter becomes milder in the Northern Hemisphere and grows more severe in the Southern Hemisphere.


The alternation of seasons occurs due to the deflection of the Earth’s surface in relation to its orbit. The Sun is positioned lower in the Northern Hemisphere in that period and gives less warmth. But it’s just the contrary in summer: bent towards the Sun, the Earth’s northern pole receives more warmth, making the Northern Hemisphere a warmer place, as opposed to the Southern Hemisphere where the temperature is much lower.