Is it possible that every certain amount of time, the Earth's orbit gets its closest to the Sun?

Question

And then when it enters its fall equinox, it is pulled farther away, freezing the planet? Then the orbit starts all over, continuing until that moment when it gets its closest to the Sun?
This being a cyclical event?

Answer 1

Not only possible but known to be the case. The theory of how the earth and other planets orbit the sun in elliptical orbits was first worked out by Johann Kepler (1571 – 1630) in his three Laws of Planetary Motion.

The sun is at one of the two foci of the ellipse and thus the distance of the planet from the sun varies at different moments during the orbit, This is how we get perihelion and aphelion six months apart and the earth moves more slowly when at aphelion and speeds up again as it approaches perihelion (the sun's gravitational pull is stronger when it is closer).

Kepler's seond law explains how equal areas are swept out in equal time. ie in January the arc (the slice of the cake) it describes in space in a week has a smaller radius and a wider angle than in July when the radius is larger but the angle swept by the planet is smaller. This is much easier to visualise if you look at the diagram in the link. It may help to visualise this alternation between faster and slower motion if you think of how a pendulum swings (in 2 dimensions).

Some fifty years later Sir Isaac Newton developed three laws of motion, including the inverse square law of attraction between two bodies, from which Kepler's Laws can be derived (though historically they came first and Newton's laws later).

Kepler's work was vital to the later acceptance of Sir Isaac Newton's three laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation. Newton was able to deduce Kepler's laws using his invention of calculus.

SOME FIGURES

Aphelion distance: 152,097,701 km (1.016 710 333 5 AU) 94,509,130 miles

Perihelion distance: 147,098,074 km (0.983 289 891 2 AU) 91,402,725 miles

Maximum orbital speed at perihelion: 30.287 km/s(109,033 km/h)

Minimum orbital speed at aphelion: 29.291 km/s (105,448 km/h)

Answer 2

The Earth is closest to the Sun around January 4 and farthest about July 4. So Summers in the Southern Hemisphere are warmer and Winters are colder than in the Northern Hemisphere. What makes the most difference in seasons is the part of the Earth that is facing toward the Sun. In June, the North Pole is leaning its farthest toward the Sun. In December, the South Pole is. That's why the seasons are as they are.

Answer 3

If the Earth's orbit is being altered, its most likely moving further away, as the Universe, in theory, is expanding. And the difference of this effect won't be seen for millions or billions of years into the future. Also, we have to consider the fact that in another few billion years (say four or five), the sun will expand into a red giant, and in turn, its gases will engulf the inner planets including our Earth.

Answer 4

The distance we are from the sun has no bearing on the temperature of the earth, to a degree.
We are actually closest to the sun during the winter and summer months.
The angle of sunlight is what causes it to be hot, warm, or cold. Of course there are many other factors, such as wind and ocean currents, altitude, etc.

Answer 5

Celestial mechanics doesn't quite work that way. Remember, the Northern Hemisphere's fall equinox is the Southern Hemisphere spring equinox. Moreover, the earth is closest to the sun when we have WINTER.

Answer 6

There is perihelion (when the Earth is closest to the Sun), and aphelion (farthest from the Sun), but the difference isn't so great as to affect the weather.

Answer 7

i doubt thats going to happen. the earths been here for billions or maybe trillions of years. and if it took that long and its still here, guarenteed you dont have to worry about that.