The Earth, at maximum speed this weekend

Jan. 3 () –

This January 4, the Earth will be at perihelion, closer to the Sun in its annual orbit. That produces the maximum orbital speed, accelerating 3,420 kilometers per hour above average.

The Earth rotates around the Sun, describing an elliptical orbit of 930 million kilometers, at an average speed of 107,280 kilometers per hour, which means traveling the distance in 365 days and almost 6 hours. Hence, every four years a leap year is counted.

But, according to Kepler’s second lawthis translation speed varies, increasing until it is maximum at perihelion – the shortest distance to the Sun – with 110,700 kilometers per hour, and reducing until it is minimum at aphelion, with 103,536 kilometers per hour, more than 7,000 kilometers per hour of difference.

According to timeanddate.com, The perihelion of 2025 will occur at 13:28 UTC on Saturday, January 4, with a distance of just over 147.1 million kilometers. The aphelion in 2025 will be on July 3, at 19:54 UTC, with the Earth about 5 million kilometers further from the Sun.

Kepler realized that the line connecting the planets and the Sun covers the same area in the same period of time. This means that when the planets are close to the Sun in their orbit, They move faster than when they are further away.

Thus, the orbital speed of a planet will be lower, the greater the distance from the Sun, and at smaller distances the orbital speed will be higher. The average distance from the Sun is on average 150 million kilometers. At aphelion it reaches 152.09 million kilometers and at perihelion it drops to 147.10 million kilometers away.