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Perihelion

All articles tagged with #perihelion

Aphelion Isn’t Making July Hot: It’s the Earth’s Tilt Behind Summer
science4 days ago

Aphelion Isn’t Making July Hot: It’s the Earth’s Tilt Behind Summer

Even at aphelion, the farthest point from the Sun in early July, heat remains high because the Earth’s 23.5° tilt directs more sunlight toward the Northern Hemisphere and lengthens days. Perihelion—the closest approach to the Sun—occurs in January at about 91.4 million miles, while aphelion is about 94.5 million miles away and the planet travels around 65,500 mph. The season is driven by tilt, not proximity, and daylight is gradually changing after the solstice, which helps explain why recent local heat records occur during summer.

via WRAL|
#aphelion#axial-tilt#daylight-hours
Aphelion Spotlight: Far from the Sun, Summer Still Wins
space11 days ago

Aphelion Spotlight: Far from the Sun, Summer Still Wins

On July 6, 2026, Earth reaches aphelion—the farthest point from the Sun—while the Northern Hemisphere is in midsummer. The tilt of Earth’s axis (about 23.5 degrees) is the primary driver of the seasons; distance changes only modestly affect solar energy and climate (roughly a 7% difference in sunlight and about a 5°C global swing), with oceans dampening the effect. Aphelion also makes Northern summers longer and Southern summers shorter, and this timing drifts slowly over centuries due to orbital dynamics. Perihelion—the closest approach to the Sun—occurs in January, when the Sun-Earth distance is minimized.

via Space Daily|
#aphelion#axial-tilt#perihelion
Aphelion Heat: Why Summer Feels Hot Even as Earth Moves Away from the Sun
science28 days ago

Aphelion Heat: Why Summer Feels Hot Even as Earth Moves Away from the Sun

Despite record heat, Earth is actually farther from the Sun during aphelion in early July (~152 million km) than at perihelion in January. Seasons are driven by Earth’s 23.4° tilt, which increases the Sun’s angle and daily daylight in the Northern Hemisphere; the distance changes about 5 million km and slightly affects solar energy, but tilt dominates the seasonal cycle.

via WRAL|
#aphelion#axial-tilt#earth-sun-distance
PanSTARRS Flaunts Dual Tails During Close Earth Approach
stargazing2 months ago

PanSTARRS Flaunts Dual Tails During Close Earth Approach

Space.com reports that Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS displayed its ion tail as it passed about 45 million miles (72 million km) from Earth, with a dust tail lagging behind. The comet heated as it neared the Sun (perihelion on April 19) and then reached its closest approach to Earth around April 26, with SOHO imagery capturing the ion tail brightening and pointing away from the Sun.

via Space|
#comet#ion-tail#panstarrs
Comet PanSTARRS to Shine in Predawn Sky Before It Vanishes
space2 months ago

Comet PanSTARRS to Shine in Predawn Sky Before It Vanishes

Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS should reach naked-eye visibility (magnitude ~4.7) in the eastern predawn sky on April 17, about 90 minutes before sunrise, low on the horizon and a few degrees above Algenib in Pegasus. Locate the Great Square and spot PanSTARRS about five degrees above the star; binoculars (10x50) can reveal its glowing nucleus. The comet will brighten toward its perihelion around April 19, then move southward and fade from Northern Hemisphere skies for the foreseeable future.

via Space|
#astronomy#comet#panstarrs
Hubble snapshots real-time breakup of distant comet C/2025 K1 ATLAS
space3 months ago

Hubble snapshots real-time breakup of distant comet C/2025 K1 ATLAS

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured, in real time, the fragmentation of the long‑period comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) after its near‑Sun passage, identifying at least four fragments over three days (Nov. 8–10, 2025) with one fragment fragmenting again; breakup began about a week earlier as heating and stress from perihelion likely exposed dust layers. K1, ~8 km across and from the distant Oort Cloud, was discovered by ATLAS in May 2025. The observations, described in a 2026 Icarus paper, offer rare insight into the physics of comet surfaces and dust production during disintegration.

via Space|
#c2025-k1-atlas#comet-fragmentation#hubble-space-telescope
Comet MAPS Could Light Up Twilight If It Survives Solar Pass
science4 months ago

Comet MAPS Could Light Up Twilight If It Survives Solar Pass

Comet MAPS (C/2026 A1), a Kreutz sungrazer discovered in Chile, is heading for its perihelion near the Sun on April 4 at about 99,000 miles (160,000 km) away. It could be torn apart by solar heat and gravity, but if it survives it could glow as brightly as Venus in twilight; however, viewing will be tricky—best about 30 minutes after sunset, with the Northern Hemisphere facing limited visibility and a long tail potentially visible for several days.

via Gizmodo|
#astronomy#comets#naked-eye-visibility
Easter comet MAPS could blaze in twilight skies after near-sun pass
science4 months ago

Easter comet MAPS could blaze in twilight skies after near-sun pass

A newly discovered comet, C/2026 A1 (MAPS), is brightening rapidly and could become visible from Earth if it survives a perilous close approach to the Sun on April 4, passing about 99,000 miles from the solar photosphere. If it endures, it may be seen in the western twilight around April 8–14, potentially as bright as Venus, with the safest viewing through SOHO’s LASCO C3 imagery from April 2–6. Astronomers emphasize eye safety when looking near the Sun and note the comet’s Kreutz sungrazer nature and long orbital history, with observations focusing on the Sun‑watching spacecraft for near-real-time images.

via Yahoo|
#kreutz-sungrazer#maps#perihelion
Easter Comet MAPS Could Light Daytime Skies If It Survives Solar Brunt
astronomy4 months ago

Easter Comet MAPS Could Light Daytime Skies If It Survives Solar Brunt

A newly discovered comet, C/2026 A1 (MAPS), has brightened enough to potentially be seen from Earth in coming weeks, but only if it survives an extremely close pass by the Sun on April 4, nearly skimming the solar surface at about 159,000 km. If it endures, it could briefly appear in the western twilight between April 8–14, possibly rivaling Venus in brightness. Observers are urged to use caution around looking at the Sun; binoculars may help locate it and viewing via SOHO's LASCO imagery offers a safer alternative. The MAPS team discovered the comet on Jan. 13 in Chile, and its fate hinges on whether solar heat and gravity tear it apart during perihelion.

via Space|
#astronomy#c2026-a1#kreutz-sungrazer
Tiny Comet 41P Flips Its Spin After Near-Sun Pass
science4 months ago

Tiny Comet 41P Flips Its Spin After Near-Sun Pass

Analysis of comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák from its 2017 close solar approach shows a dramatic spin-down followed by an apparent spin reversal, inferred from light curves and Hubble data. The rapid change, likely driven by torques from outgassed jets on its ~1‑km nucleus, exceeds previous records and could spin the comet apart if it continues; the finding is in an arXiv preprint and not yet peer‑reviewed, with the next spin measurements expected at the 2028 perihelion.

via ScienceAlert|
#41p#comet#perihelion
New Sungrazing Comet Could Glow in Daylight if It Survives Its Close Sun Pass
space5 months ago

New Sungrazing Comet Could Glow in Daylight if It Survives Its Close Sun Pass

Discovered C/2026 A1 (MAPS) is a Kreutz sungrazing comet that will swing within about 0.5 million miles of the Sun at perihelion on April 4; if it survives the solar blast, it could become bright enough to be seen with the naked eye—even in daylight—if it survives the solar encounter; observers in the Southern Hemisphere are best placed to view, while those in the north may see it low on the western horizon at sunset; most sungrazers disintegrate near perihelion, so brightness is uncertain, and even if it breaks up it could remain visible with a telescope in late March; another potential bright comet, C/2025 PanSTARRS, may follow later in April.

via Live Science|
#comets#daylight-visibility#kreutz-sungrazer
Fresh Kreutz Fragment MAPS Could Dazzle Skies in April
space5 months ago

Fresh Kreutz Fragment MAPS Could Dazzle Skies in April

A newly discovered Kreutz sungrazer, C/2026 A1 (MAPS), may swing extremely close to the Sun in early April. If it survives perihelion, it could become a notable evening sky object and possibly visible in daylight; its brightness depends on whether it remains intact or breaks up, with the southern hemisphere likely having the best viewing opportunity. SOHO will provide images of the event.

via ScienceAlert|
#april-show#comet-maps#daytime-visibility
New Kreutz Comet MAPS Could Light Up April Skies
science5 months ago

New Kreutz Comet MAPS Could Light Up April Skies

Astronomers have spotted a new comet, C/2026 A1 (MAPS), discovered Jan 13 by four amateur observers in the Atacama. It’s a member of the Kreutz sungrazing family and will swing very close to the Sun, passing within about 120,000 km at perihelion in early April. If it survives perihelion, MAPS could become a spectacular evening sight in early to mid-April and might even be daylight-visible, though it could fragment. Ongoing observations suggest it’s brightening, and SOHO images may capture it regardless. Viewing will be easiest from the southern hemisphere; stay tuned for updates as the close solar pass approaches.

via The Conversation|
#astronomy#comet-maps#daylight-visibility