A number of posts and messages being passed around on social media platforms are going viral with claims that climate change is happening and the weather is going to get colder now due to a certain natural phenomenon.
The message says that the phenomenon of aphelion will start “tomorrow”, so the weather will get colder and you have to be careful.
“Starting tomorrow at 05:27, we will experience the PHENOMENON APHELION,
where the Earth will be very far from the Sun.
We cannot see the phenomenon, but we can feel its impact.
This will last until August.
We will experience more cold weather than the previous cold weather,
which will impact flu, cough, shortness of breath, etc.
Therefore, let us all increase our immunity by drinking lots of vitamins or supplements so that our immunity is strong.
The distance from the Earth to the Sun is 5 light minutes or 90,000,000 km. The phenomenon of aphelion at 152,000,000 km. 66% further.
So the air is colder, the impact on the body is not good because it is not used to this temperature.
For this, let’s keep our sanitary conditions in order to stay healthy with such weather conditions…”
Here is one of those Facebook posts:
Facebook Link | Archived link
The same message is widely shared even on instant messaging apps like WhatsApp. Here is one of those screenshots: Archived link
To find out more, Fact Crescendo investigated the phenomenon of aphelion and whether it affects life on Earth in any way. The investigation revealed that the shared message is false. We have seen that Aphelion is an annual natural phenomenon and that it does not only occur in 2022.
Fact-checking methodology
According to an article on the official Britannica website, Aphelion, in astronomy, is the point in the orbit of a planet, comet, or other body furthest from the Sun. This happens because the orbits are not perfectly circular. As a result, the Earth is sometimes closer to the Sun and sometimes farther away. Perihelion is when the planet is closest to the Sun.
Both perihelion and aphelion occur once a year. There’s nothing unusual about Earth’s aphelion in 2022. So the southern hemisphere won’t experience “colder cold weather than before” in the winter.
The dates of perihelion and aphelion change slightly each year, but they are often in January and July, respectively. According to the US Navy website, perihelion occurred on January 4, 2022, and aphelion occurred on July 4. Aphelion does not influence Earth’s weather conditions.
This image explains the phenomena:
Fact Crescendo Malayalam also published a fact check on the same claim where they cited as evidence, an article by retired Ernakulam Maharaja College professor and space science enthusiast, Dr. N. Shaji. He explains there:
“The word aphelion is familiar to those who have studied astrology. Johannes Kepler discovered in the 17th century that the planets of the solar system, including the Earth, move in elliptical orbits around the Sun. The closest point to the Sun in this orbit is called perihelion and the furthest point is called aphelion. This ellipse is not very different from the orbit relative to the Earth.
The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 152 million km. The distance the light travels takes about 500 seconds (about 8 minutes). To be a little more precise, 149.6 million km. The distance at perihelion is about 147 million km and the distance at aphelion is 152 million km. This means that there will be a difference of approximately 1.7%. Therefore, if we think that summer and snow alternate on earth, we are mistaken. The reason is different. The reason for the changing seasons is the 23.5 degree tilt between the Earth’s orbital plane and the equatorial plane. This is also called the tilt of the Earth’s axis.
This is also what causes the phenomenon called Uttarayana and Dakshinayana. June-August is generally summer in the northern hemisphere. It’s winter in the southern hemisphere. At this time, the north receives more heat than the south. This will be reversed in December-February; that is, summer in the southern hemisphere and winter in the northern hemisphere.
But the Earth reaches aphelion the first week of July. In 2022, this will happen on July 4 at 12:42 p.m. At that time, the distance from the Sun was 152,098,455 km. In 2023 – it will be 01:36 on July 7. At that time, the distance will be 152,093,251 km.
Dr Shaji told our colleagues at the Fact Crescendo Malayalam team that he wrote the article when he noticed that a false message was being spread about Aphelion and many people were asking for an explanation.
The increase from 90 million to 152 million km is about 69%. But the actual difference between Earth’s aphelion and the Sun’s perihelion – between 152.1 million and 147.3 million kilometers, according to NASA – is only about 3.3%.
This small difference is not enough to cause noticeable changes in the Earth’s climate.
Weather patterns are very complex and many different things influence climate change. Weather forecaster Accuweather published an article in 2015 stating that “climate variability plays a much larger role in Earth’s weather patterns than aphelion.” Accuweather adds that it may be different on other planets: “When Mars is at perihelion, the planet becomes hotter and the resulting dust storms last longer.”
The Earth passes through several key points in its orbit. The equinoxes are the points where day and night are equal everywhere on Earth.
Our research shows that aphelion does not affect the weather in any way. No particular precaution is to be taken in the face of the phenomenon of aphelion.
Conclusion
The information in the message is false. The phenomenon of aphelion does not cause climate change. The message that the weather will get colder and respiratory problems will increase can cause unnecessary panic. Please do not share such messages.
Title:No, the Aphelion phenomenon does not cause extreme cold
Fact check by: Manjori Borkotoky
Results: Fake
