What is Perihelion Day? Date, time, all you need to know

The orbit of any planet- not just the Earth - is not a perfect circle. It is an ellipse formed by the Earth's gravitational pull from the Sun. Image: Pinterest

A planet's orbital velocity decreases as it moves away from the Sun, as the Earth does. It travels at its slowest speed as it approaches 'aphelion', or the point furthest from the Sun. Image: Pinterest

The planet is then pulled back by the force of the Sun. It accelerates as it begins to move back towards the Sun. Image: Pinterest

It travels at maximum speed as it approaches the closest point to the Sun, or perihelion. It is the fast enough to defy the Sun's gravitational pull and continue its journey into space. Image: pinterest

The planet's orbit is eventually bent by the force of the Sun, causing it to fall back, and the cycle repeats itself. However, the process is never exactly repeated. Image: Pinterest

A planet's orbit can be disturbed by the gravitational pull of other planets, most notably Jupiter. In the case of the Earth, the Moon causes an extra wobble in the planet's orbit. Image: Pinterest

For 2024, our closest point will be at 1 UTC on 3 January (8 pm CDT on 2 January). Early January will see us approximately 3% closer to the Sun than early July, when we are at Earth's aphelion. Image: Pinterest