[wiki]Perihelion[/wiki]
Earth's perihelion and aphelion
The Earth is closest to the Sun in early January and farthest in early July. The relation between perihelion, aphelion and the Earth's seasons changes over a 21,000 year cycle. This anomalistic precession contributes to periodic climate change (see Milankovitch cycles).
The day and hour of these events for the next few years are:
Year Perihelion Aphelion
2007 January 3 20Z July 7 00Z
2008 January 3 00Z July 4 08Z
2009 January 4 15Z July 4 02Z
2010 January 3 00Z July 6 11Z
2011 January 3 19Z July 4 15Z
2012 January 5 00Z July 5 03Z
2013 January 2 05Z July 5 15Z
2014 January 4 12Z July 4 00Z
2015 January 4 07Z July 6 19Z
2016 January 2 23Z July 4 16Z
2017 January 4 14Z July 3 20Z
2018 January 3 06Z July 6 17Z
2019 January 3 05Z July 4 22Z
2020 January 5 08Z July 4 12Z
