Earth orbits the Sun at an average distance of 149,598,000 kilometers.  Astronomers refer to this distance as 1 Astronomical Unit (AU), which is a handy unit for measuring distances within the Solar System.  But the actual distance changes every day, because the Earth’s orbit is elliptical and not perfectly circular.  On the 3rd of January each year, Earth is at its closest point to the Sun, with a distance of 147,098,074 km.  It is at its furthest point (152,097,701 km) on … Continue reading →