If you think the Earth is closest to the Sun during the sweltering heat of summer, you’re in for a cold surprise.
Occurs in early January , at about 91.4 million miles.
So why is January cold? The answer is . Earth’s 23.5-degree tilt means that in January, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning away from the Sun, so sunlight hits at a lower, more glancing angle. That spreads the same amount of solar energy over a larger area, creating winter. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemisphere, tilted toward the Sun, enjoys summer—even though the entire planet is actually closer to our star.
In reality, Earth reaches —its closest point to the Sun—in January . Why the Winter Date?
