Earth at Perihelion Jan 4, 2023

Earth at Perihelion

We"ve reached perihelion! Two weeks after winter solstice the Earth"s orbit is closer to the sun than at any other time of year—a result of the Earth"s elliptical orbit. You may think, "If we"re so close to the sun, why can"t I feel the heat?" Well, that"s because we"re only receiving about 7% more solar energy than normal, which doesn"t really have much impact on the weather.

© JSC/NASA

palette

Today in History

Jan 4, 2019Observing World Braille Day in Bavaria
Jan 4, 2020Celebrating whales—and a whale of a tale
Jan 4, 2021Sparkling ice diamonds on a black sandy beach
Jan 4, 2022Borrego Badlands
Jan 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Jan 4, 2025Bản Giốc–Detian Falls, Vietnam
Jan 4, 2026Kings Mountain, Chugach Mountains, Alaska

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 11, 2020Honoring our veterans
Nov 27, 2025Happy Thanksgiving!
Aug 20, 2023International Lighthouse Weekend
Apr 4, 2018Mexican giant cardon cactus
Apr 24, 2023Old underground cellar, Bavaria, Germany
Oct 8, 2022World Octopus Day
Sep 23, 2019Stepping into autumn
Jun 12, 2018Celebrating Helsinki’s birthday at the Kiasma Museum
Jun 9, 2022Sweetheart Abbey, Scotland
Nov 6, 2025Celebrating Yi Peng
May 5, 2023Cinco de Mayo
Jan 16, 2023Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Sep 23, 2025A keel-billed toucan in Costa Rica
Jan 27, 2020Thomas Edison s bright idea
Feb 17, 2018Infant Sumatran orangutan, Indonesia
Apr 3, 2021A light at the edge of the world
Feb 27, 2021A snuggling ball of cute
Jul 1, 2022Tour de France
Nov 9, 2025Carl Sagan Day
Dec 8, 2018How lovely are your branches
Jul 4, 2024Independence Day
Jul 22, 2020Wildebeest on the move
Jan 29, 2019A winter’s holiday ends
Feb 15, 2021Presidents hear the echo of history
Nov 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California
Dec 29, 2023Oud-West, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Feb 14, 2021An oceanic valentine
Jan 9, 2018Great Fountain Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Dec 6, 2018The owl that loved football
Aug 12, 2020King of the dinosaurs