In the days following Independence Day, thermometers reached abnormal levels in many parts of the world. It may surprise you to hear that at such high temperatures, it will reach its furthest point in Earth’s orbit on Thursday, July 6, at 16:06 Eastern Daylight Time (2006 GMT). from the sun in space.

The Sun, called the apogee, will currently be 94,506,364 miles (152,093,250 km) (measured from center to centre) or 3,103,330 miles (4,994,325 km) further from our Earth than when Earth was closest to it (i.e. perihelion). called). January 4 The difference in distance equals 3.29%, which makes a difference of almost 7 percent in the radiant heat received by the Earth; Replacing only one of the 30 parts.

In fact, it’s no surprise that when most people ask what month of the year the Earth is closest to the Sun, they’ll probably say we’re closest in June, July, or August. However, the fact that our weather is hot is not related to our distance from the sun. Because the Earth’s axis is tilted 23.5 degrees, the sun stays above the horizon at different times in different seasons. Tilt determines whether the sun’s rays hit us at a low angle or more directly.

At New York latitude, the closer direct rays at the summer solstice of June 21 bring about three times more heat than the more oblique rays at the winter solstice of December 21. The heat received by any region depends on the length of daylight and the angle of the sun’s tilt over the horizon, so there are noticeable differences in recorded temperatures in different parts of the world.

climatological error

When I was at Henry Bruckner High School #101 in the Bronx, my Earth Science teacher, Mr. Saul Schoenberg, told us all, since we are in July furthest from the sun and December closest, this difference will tend to warm the winter and cool the summer…at least in the Northern Hemisphere. .

That certainly made sense, but the truth is that the advantage of large landmasses in the Northern Hemisphere works in the other direction and actually tends to make our northern winters colder and our summers hotter!

Interestingly, the times when Earth is closest and furthest from the sun roughly coincide with two major holidays in the United States: we are closest to the sun on New Year’s Day and furthest from the sun on Independence Day.

For Canadians, 1 July coincides with Canada Day, which is almost a national holiday at daybreak. But in reality, depending on the year, the perihelion date can range from January 1 to January 5, and the apocalypse can range from July 2 to July 6. Source