Damascus, Jan. 4 (SANA) The Syrian Astronomical Association announced that the Earth reaches its annual perihelion in early January, marking its closest point to the Sun at approximately 147.1 million kilometers. This is about five million kilometers closer than its farthest point, known as aphelion, which occurs in July.
A member of the Association’s advisory committee, Nabil al-Baish, explained that this recurring phenomenon is not linked to temperatures or seasonal changes. He stressed that winter cold results from the tilt of the Earth’s axis, rather than its proximity to the Sun.
Al-Baish added that the Earth’s orbital speed reaches about 30.3 kilometers per second at perihelion, which makes winter shorter than summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
He also highlighted the contributions of the 14th-century astronomer Ibn al-Shatir, who helped explain this phenomenon. Al-Baish described perihelion as an opportunity for astrophotography enthusiasts to observe the Sun at its largest apparent size of the year, provided proper safety filters are used.
The Association emphasized that astronomical events like perihelion help raise scientific awareness and demonstrate the precision of the cosmic system, governed by laws that regulate the motion of celestial bodies.
