On Saturday, January 3, 2026, the Earth reached its closest point to the sun in its elliptical orbit, a phenomenon known astronomically as “perihelion.” During its annual rotation, the Earth approaches the sun and then moves away from it.
“Walid Sobhi Shaqir,” a member of the Arab Union for Space and Astronomy Sciences, explained that the Earth approaches the sun in winter, specifically in early January of each year, to a distance of approximately 147.1 million kilometers. In contrast, the Earth reaches its farthest distance from the sun, which is the “aphelion,” in the summer, at a distance of approximately 152.5 million kilometers, and this is expected to occur on July 6, 2026.
“Shaqir” pointed out that the difference between the two distances is about 5 million kilometers, which is approximately 392 times the diameter of the Earth. He added that this relatively limited difference contributes to maintaining climate stability. He pointed out that doubling this difference to about 10 million kilometers would have led to a significant increase in temperatures, and widespread climatic disturbances including a rise in temperature in summer, greater warmth in winter, a decrease in snowfall, a rise in sea level, and a disruption in rainfall patterns between floods and drought.
From an observational point of view, the sun appears larger in size during the perihelion period than at any other time during the year, as its apparent diameter reaches 32.7 arc minutes, compared to about 31.6 arc minutes in the summer. This difference cannot be easily noticed except in detailed photographs.
“Shaqir” indicated that the sun is witnessing the peak of its periodic activity this year, with an increase in sunspots and explosions, which may lead to disturbances in some wireless communication networks around the world.
In this context, specialists reiterated their warning against looking directly at the sun from sunrise until just before sunset, due to the danger of its rays to the eye. Looking at the sun at sunset is considered relatively safer, because the atmosphere filters out most of its rays. In contrast, the sun’s rays at sunrise are brighter due to the clarity of the atmosphere, which makes observing them at that moment unsafe.
