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Aphelion Day 2018: Earth Is Farthest from the Sun Today
Space.com ^ | July 6, 2018 07:24am ET | Hanneke Weitering,

Posted on 07/06/2018 5:41:01 PM PDT by BenLurkin

The exact moment of aphelion happens at 12:46 p.m. EDT (1646 GMT), when Earth will be 94,507,803 miles (152,095,566 kilometers) away from the sun. That's more than 1.5 million miles (2.5 million km) farther than the planet's average distance of about 93 million miles (150 million km) — and twice as far away as perihelion, or the shortest distance from the sun, which happened on Jan. 3. 

In the cosmic scheme of things, these annual changes in Earth's distance from the sun are tiny. Earth's distance at aphelion and perihelion differ from the average distance between Earth and the sun by less than 2 percent. Aphelion and perhelion are not related to the seasons, and people on Earth won't notice any difference in the weather or climate because the Earth is farther away from the sun, NASA officials have said.

...

But this doesn't necessarily mean that Earth's longer distance from the sun has no noticeable effects, Roy Spencer, of the Global Hydrology and Climate Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in the same statement. "Averaged over the globe, sunlight falling on Earth in July (aphelion) is indeed about 7 percent less intense than it is in January (perihelion)," Spencer said. 

Strangely, this doesn't mean that Earth is any cooler when it's farther from the sun. "The average temperature of Earth at aphelion is about 4 degrees Fahrenheit (2.3 degrees Celsius) higher than it is at perihelion," Spencer said.

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS:
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1 posted on 07/06/2018 5:41:01 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

It does feel cooler today.


2 posted on 07/06/2018 5:41:26 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: Larry Lucido

116 Here.


3 posted on 07/06/2018 5:47:32 PM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists call 'em what you will they all have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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To: Larry Lucido

It does feel cooler today.

Are you underground ? LOL


4 posted on 07/06/2018 5:47:37 PM PDT by butlerweave
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To: BenLurkin

I wonder.

Does that make seasons South of the equator, more extreme?


5 posted on 07/06/2018 5:49:47 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: BenLurkin

” ... and twice as far away as perihelion ... “

Um, no.


6 posted on 07/06/2018 5:53:23 PM PDT by Born to Conserve
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To: yarddog

RTFA.


7 posted on 07/06/2018 5:55:01 PM PDT by Tea Party Terrorist (A bad peace is better than a good war.)
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To: Born to Conserve

Common core math.


8 posted on 07/06/2018 5:58:40 PM PDT by rightwingcrazy
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To: Tea Party Terrorist
“RTFA”

Love it. First time I’ve seen it here. Can I borrow it?

9 posted on 07/06/2018 5:59:33 PM PDT by HandyDandy (This space intentionally left blank.)
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To: Tea Party Terrorist

Well it says that it will have no effect, then they admit that it does.


10 posted on 07/06/2018 6:07:29 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: BenLurkin

thanks for posting


11 posted on 07/06/2018 6:09:37 PM PDT by CaliforniaCraftBeer
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To: BenLurkin

Really. 112 in the oc placentia


12 posted on 07/06/2018 6:11:15 PM PDT by markman46 (engage brain before using keyboard!!!at)
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To: HandyDandy; Tea Party Terrorist
“RTFA”
"Love it. First time I’ve seen it here. Can I borrow it?"

Residential Treatment Facility for Adults? Isn't that why we're all here?

13 posted on 07/06/2018 6:12:38 PM PDT by outofsalt (If history teaches us anything, it's that history rarely teaches us anything.)
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To: BenLurkin
On Mars the difference between perihelion and aphelion is much greater than on earth. The reason this year's opposition will be especially favorable for viewers on earth is that Mars will be close to perihelion when it's at opposition.

The planet with the least eccentric orbit is Venus, followed by Neptune, earth, Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Mercury. If Pluto is counted as a planet it's in ninth place. If it's counted as a "dwarf planet," it is second among the ones discovered so far--after Eris.

14 posted on 07/06/2018 6:13:12 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: BenLurkin

“12:46 p.m. EDT (1646 GMT), when Earth will be 94,507,803 miles (152,095,566 kilometers) away from the sun.”

Would that be from the surface of the earth to the surface of the sun or is it from the center of the earth to the center of the sun?


15 posted on 07/06/2018 6:15:11 PM PDT by equaviator (`)
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To: BenLurkin
"Averaged over...7 percent less intense than it is in January"

In statistics, normally extreme highs and lows are left out for standard deviation. Texas in July was not considered as part of the data imputs.

16 posted on 07/06/2018 6:28:41 PM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's fore sure)
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To: Born to Conserve

Correct! Else we’d be crossing Venus’ orbit about twice every year (once inbound and once outbound). And we could never have done that successfully 4.5 billion times without something real baaaaad happening.


17 posted on 07/06/2018 6:30:28 PM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: rockinqsranch

Here in Joshua Tree, CA it sure doesn’t feel like it


18 posted on 07/06/2018 7:55:55 PM PDT by Rural_Michigan
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To: equaviator
Would that be from the surface of the earth to the surface of the sun or is it from the center of the earth to the center of the sun?

Center to center.

19 posted on 07/06/2018 8:12:54 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault ('Kill'-google,TWITR,FACEBK,WaPo,Hollywd,CNN,NFL,BLM,CAIR,Antifa,SPLC,ESPN,NPR,NBA)
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To: Rural_Michigan

Between Woodcrest, and Elsinore in Glen Valley. It’s still hotter’n ‘H’ after the Sun went down. A/C will be on all night guaranteed.


20 posted on 07/06/2018 8:23:03 PM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists call 'em what you will they all have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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