If I had been paying attention, I would have posted this last Wednesday, January 4, when Perihelion Day actually occurred. What is Perihelion Day? The day the Earth is closest to the sun. (OK, it’s not a named day, but don’t you think it should be?)
That’s right, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, that day the Earth is closest to the sun comes in winter. You know, the season of Frosty the Snowman and seasonal affective disorder. That means the antihelion, the day the Earth is farthest from the sun, comes in summer, in July.
Sidenote: No, this doesn’t explain seasons. The Earth’s tilt on its axis explains seasons.
In December, I read a lot of posts about the solstice. Winter … dark. But what I didn’t know was that just a few days later, winter would mean … sun. Not necessarily light. Not yet.
Life can look very dark and cold. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re far from the sun. We might be closer than ever.
Unless, of course, you live in the Southern Hemisphere. Then this little analogy is completely worthless.
