Today is Perihelion Day!
What is Perihelion Day, you may ask? Well, this is the day when the Earth is closest to its Sun. You see, the Earth's orbit is not circular, it's elliptical. As such, it's not at a constant distance from the sun in its orbit. The term "perihelion" was coined by German astronomer Johannes Kepler, using the Greek prefix "peri", meaning "near", and the Greek word for the sun: "helios". In Greek mythology, Helios is also a personification/god of the sun. The word literally means "Near Sun".
The Earth's orbit generally reaches the perihelion in January. Next year, the Earth will reach the perihelion on the 4th. It doesn't have any effect on seasons, as that's caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis.
So, yeah. Just something neat to write about today. At least, I think it is. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!
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