What is Aphelion?

The Earth hit aphelion in July of this year. This is the point in its orbit where it is farthest from the Sun. This event happens once a year and marks an important but little-known part of how our planet’s rotation works. Because their paths are elliptical, all of the planets in our solar system reach aphelion. Kirby Runyon, a geologist at the Planetary Science Institute, explained this. When aphelion happens, the Earth is about 152.1 million km from the Sun. There are planets in the solar system that pull on this elliptical path, especially Jupiter, which is the biggest planet in the system.

What is Orbital Eccentricity?

Eccentricity is the number that tells you how far a path is from a perfect circle. Earth’s eccentricity is only 0.017, which means that its circle is not very long compared to those of other celestial bodies, such as Mars or Pluto, whose eccentricities are 0.094 and 0.244, respectively.

Misconceptions and Implications

Many people think that the distance between Earth and the Sun at aphelion and perihelion (the closest and farthest points to the Sun) is the main cause of yearly changes. But these are mostly caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis. A small change in the amount of solar energy reaching these points does have some effect on how harsh the seasons are, but it’s not the main cause.

What If Earth’s Orbit Changed?

Dr. Runyon says that if Earth’s orbit were perfectly round, the seasons would be more evenly spread out, but there would be little effect on the climate generally. But a big rise in orbital eccentricity could cause extreme weather, which could make modern civilization impossible to keep up, especially because it would hurt farming.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2024

Category: Science & Technology Current Affairs