As the celestial events for the new year have begun recently, the Perihelion Day 2022 has finally arrived. It's the moment when Earth swings closest to the sun once every year and this closest Earth-Sun distance is called perihelion. This year, the Perihelion Day will occur on January 4, Tuesday. 

The word perihelion comes from the Greek words "peri" which means near and "Helios" meaning the Greek god of the sun. Thus, it is termed as perihelion. On this day, Earth is about 91.4 million miles from the sun. It is winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere. Thus, it is possible to see that Earth's distance from the sun does not cause seasons to change but it does affect the length of the seasons. During this time, the planet's close approach to the sun causes it to travel slightly faster which means that the faster trip will lead to short duration for winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere. Accordingly, winters in the North are about five days shorter than the summer while summers in the South are five days shorter than winter. Quadrantids Meteor Shower 2022 Watch Online: Get the Live Streaming Details of the Celestial Event Happening Today!

As perihelion is the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid or comet nearest to the sun, aphelion is the point farthest from the sun. Aphelion Day occurs in July every year when Earth is about 94.5 million miles from the sun. But again, the seasons are controlled by Earth's tilted axis and not it's distance from the sun. The day of maximum tilt away from the sun is the December Solstice. NASA Asteroid Watch 2022: Find Details of Next Five Asteroids Approaching Earth and Their Estimate Date.

Date and Time of Perihelion Day 2022

It mostly occurs two weeks after the December Solstice. Perihelion 2022 will occur on January 4, Tuesday at 1:54 a.m. (Eastern). Earth doesn't feel warmer nor does it provide respite from the chilling temperature when perihelion occurs. That's because the ellipse in which planet Earth orbits is not extreme, but almost circular. Meanwhile, the sun appears the largest in the sky on Perihelion Day and it gradually grows smaller through the remainder of the year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2022 04:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).