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.
Earth at Perihelion
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Christmas Bird Count turns 125
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Groundhog Day
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The largest living organism on Earth
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A tree of many memories
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King of the dinosaurs
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Who s hiding in the kelp?
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La Geria wine region, Lanzarote, Canary Islands
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Great wildebeest migration at Mara River, Kenya
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A different kind of dive
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National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
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Red deer stag in Glen Affric, Scottish Highlands
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Ardez, Graubunden, Switzerland
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International Surfing Day
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Unearthing a queen s lost tale
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Spring comes to the Palouse
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Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, Germany
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Santorini, Greece
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Join us in celebrating World Water Day
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One for the books
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Pollinators: not to be sneezed at
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Cherry blossoms at the National Mall, Washington, DC
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Tolkien Reading Day
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Looking back at Yellowstone, 30 years after the fires
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International Surfing Day
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Pandas pucker up for International Kissing Day
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Sedona, Arizona
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Life in the slow lane
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Christmas market, St. Stephens Basilica, Budapest, Hungary
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A great white egret in Hungary
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International Day of Color