"Perihelion 2024: Earth's Annual Closest Approach to a Dazzling Sun"
Earth has reached its closest point to the Sun, known as perihelion, on January 3, at a distance of about 91.4 million miles. This event is marked by an image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Despite being closest to the Sun, the Northern Hemisphere experiences one of the coldest times of the year due to Earth's axial tilt, not its proximity to the Sun. The next significant point in Earth's orbit, aphelion, will occur on July 5, when Earth will be at its farthest from the Sun.