The Earth Will Be Closest to the Sun This Weekend -- but That Won't Make It Any Warmer

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T+L > TRIP IDEAS > SPACE TRAVEL + ASTRONOMY

The Earth Will Be Closest to the Sun This Weekend — but That Won't Make It Any Warmer

Earth’s curved orbit has some strange effects.

BY JAMIE CARTER JANUARY 01, 2020

On “Perihelion Day,” our planet makes its annual closest approach to the sun. The night of January 4 marks the exact time when Earth is closest to our star, but unfortunately, being closer to the sun doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll see warmer temperatures.

Related: More space travel and astronomy news

When is perihelion?
Earth’s annual closest approach to the sun takes place at precisely 7:48 Universal Time on January 5, 2020. That’s 2:48 a.m. EST on January 5 and 11:48 p.m. PST on January 4. At that time, our planet will be within just 91,398,199 miles of the sun. It always happens a couple of weeks after the December solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun.

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[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Related: Happy earliest sunset of the year: December 7

Friday, December 7, 2018: Happy earliest sunset of the year: December 7

* In the northern hemisphere.
** Give or take.

2018 update: I'm checking for New York City. The sunset has stalled at 4:28 p.m. for every day from December 3 until December 12.

December 2018 — Sun in New York

It is worth looking at a thread from a few days ago, in which there was a discussion of the differences in sunsets according to latitudes:

I'm watching Pres Bush's casket arrive at capitol.

It's almost pitch dark here in Boston, and the sky above the capitol is light. How can that be?

tia
las

******

Previously at DU:

We have just had the earliest sunset of the year, on December 7.

Things vary, depending on where you live.

The earliest sunset in Washington, DC, occurs on or around December 7 or 8 in 2015. DC's sunset is stalled at 4:46 for over a week. New York City has the same sunset time, 4:28 p.m., for three days.

http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/new-york?month=12

http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/washington-dc

If you live in the northern hemisphere, the sunsets will be occurring later each day from now until June. The day on which the earliest sunset occurs is not the day with the least amount of sunlight. It is also not the day on which the latest sunrise occurs.

But, but.... What's the reason?

Earliest sunset at 40 degrees N. latitude on December 7

The exact date for the earliest sunset or earliest sunrise varies by latitude. Toward the end of the first week of December, mid-temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere have their earliest sunsets. The earliest sunset for 40 degrees N. latitude is on December 7. That would be the latitude of New York City (shown in Jerry Ferguson‘s photo, top of post); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; Kansas City, Missouri; Reno, Nevada; Beijing, China; Madrid, Spain; Naples, Italy. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemisphere’s mid-temperate latitudes are waking up to their earliest sunrises.
....

It seems paradoxical. At middle latitudes in the U.S. – and throughout the Northern Hemisphere – the earliest sunsets of the year come about two weeks before the solstice and the shortest day of the year.

Why isn't the earliest sunset on the year’s shortest day? It's because of the discrepancy between the clock and the sun. A clock ticks off exactly 24 hours from one noon to the next. But an actual day - as measured by the spin of the Earth, from what is called one “solar noon” to the next - rarely equals 24 hours exactly.

Solar noon is also called simply midday. It refers to that instant when the sun reaches its highest point for the day. In the month of December, the time period from one solar noon to the next is actually half a minute longer than 24 hours. On December 7, the sun reaches its noontime position at 11:52 a.m. local standard time. Two weeks later - on the winter solstice - the sun will reach its noontime position around 11:59 a.m. That's 7 minutes later than on December 7. ... The later clock time for solar noon also means a later clock time for sunrise and sunset.

Sunrise and Sunset, Washington, DC

You can check for any month you want.

Bonus link: Why doesn't the earliest sunset occur on the shortest day of the year?

Bonus bonus link: Equation of time