On January 4th, Earth is at perihelion, meaning the closest point to the Sun in its orbit. Earth's orbit is not as elliptical compared to the Moon's, and the difference between the closest distance, like tomorrow (there’s no significant difference from today), and the farthest distance at the beginning of July (aphelion) is only about 3%.
To the naked eye, of course, no difference is visible, and in any case, one doesn’t look directly at the Sun. Even with the Moon, where the difference is much greater, the naked eye cannot detect it. However, modern cameras with enough megapixels can easily capture a 3% difference. That’s why I’ve prepared the following image for you, showing two Suns six months apart.
As for the obvious question: if Earth is closer to the Sun now, why isn’t it slightly warmer? It’s worth noting that this has a very small effect on temperature. However, the tilt of Earth’s axis, which creates the seasons, has a much greater impact. Even so, winter in the southern hemisphere is slightly colder than winter in the northern hemisphere, and summer there is slightly hotter, but not significantly so.
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| Sun in Perihelion and Aphelion comparison |
