Earth reaches closest point to the Sun on Perihelion day

Earth has reached its closest point to the Sun on Tuesday in its annual elliptical orbit in what is known as Perihelion Day, India Today reported.

The word Perihelion is derived from the Greek language with Peri meaning “near” and Helios meaning “sun”.

This event takes place once every year, around January third.

On the Perihelion day, Earth stand at approximately 147 million kilometers away from the Sun, about three percent closer than its average distance.

During this event, which takes around five days with January third being its peak, the Northern Hemisphere experiences a shorter winter, due to the increased orbital speed of Earth around the Sun.

On the opposite side of the planet, the Southern Hemisphere enjoys slightly longer summer days.

The event contrasts that of the Aphelion Day, which takes place on the fourth of July each year, with Earth being at the furthest point from Earth.