Aphelion Day 2021: Earth is farthest from the sun today!

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On July 5, 2021, Earth will be at the farthest point in its orbit around the sun, also known as aphelion.

Aphelion Day 2021: Earth is farthest from the sun today! : Read more

 

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I went out this morning near 1300 UT and celebrated Aphelion Day using my 90-mm refractor telescope with glass white light solar filter.

At 0900 this morning, I celebrated Aphelion Day with some solar observations. My note, the Sun's arcminute size ~ 31.46, 1.0167 au distance. Angular size of Earth on Sun ~ 17.3 arcsecond. 1 arcminute angular size on Sun at aphelion 44234 km diameter. Sunrise 0548 EDT/0948 UT this morning. Sunspot AR2835 still larger than Earth size this morning. Observed 0900-0945 EDT/1300-1345 UT. Sunspots AR2835 and AR2839 easy to see using 32-mm plossl at 31x with glass white light solar filter. AR2837 more difficult, smaller size and plage area. AR2835 and plage area large angular size, easy to see. AR2835 could still be close to 2x earth size. A good way to celebrate Aphelion Day while viewing the Sun safely and sunspots reported this morning. Telescope views 9.6 arcsecond so about 7079 km diameter on Sun today at aphelion.

https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/synoptic/sunspots_earth/mdi_sunspots_1024.jpg