Is the earth closer to the sun in winter?

It's winter in the Northern Hemisphere and we're at our closest point to the Sun. Closest? Yes, you read that right. Closest. For northerners, the winter solstice has just passed. But the truth is, on January 3, 2007, Earth reaches perihelion, its closest point to the Sun in its yearly orbit around our star. read more

Yes, you read that right. Closest. For northerners, the winter solstice has just passed. But the truth is, on January 3, 2007, Earth reaches perihelion, its closest point to the Sun in its yearly orbit around our star. At first glance, it makes no sense. read more

Because the earth's axis is tilted. It is all about the tilt of the Earth's axis. Many people believe that the temperature changes because the Earth is closer to the sun in summer and farther from the sun in winter. read more

It just so happens that the Earth's closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is in the dead of (the northern hemisphere's) winter around January 2 and it is furthest (aphelion) from the Sun in the summer around July 4. In several thousand years, the Earth will be closest to the Sun in the (northern hemisphere's) summer. read more