Perihelion and aphelion

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/perihelion-and-aphelion

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the earth's orbital eccentricity?Approximately 0.0167
2. What is the perihelion solar radiation increase?Approximately 6.8% more insolation compared to aphelion
3. When does Earth reach perihelion and aphelion?Earth reaches perihelion around January 3, about 147.1 million km from the Sun, and aphelion around July 4, about 152.1 million km away.
4. Why does Earth get more sunlight at perihelion?Because Earth is closer to the Sun, the sunlight is stronger. The amount of solar energy is about 6.8 % higher at perihelion than at aphelion.

Orbital Eccentricity: A measure of how much an orbit deviates from being circular.
Insolation: The amount of solar radiation received at a particular location.
Perigee and Apogee: The closest and farthest points of an object orbiting Earth, respectively.