January 4 was a big day for all of us.
I don’t know if you felt it or not. Maybe you leaned forward a little when you got out of bed and looked out the window at the sunrise. Maybe you tripped on the steps of the deck when you walked into the backyard that evening to watch the sunset.
Most likely, you didn’t notice a thing.
You completely ignored Perihelion Day.
Perihelion Day – the monumental day each year when the orbit of the Earth around the Sun takes us a few steps closer to that glorious big ball than any other day. Peri meaning close; Helios meaning the Greek god of the Sun. The elliptical nature of our orbit means we aren’t always the same distance. Each January, two weeks after Winter Solstice, we are closer than any other time.
Interestingly, it changes slightly each year. This year, at 11:17am in Frederick, Maryland, we were 91,403,034 miles away. I don’t know who measured that, but kudos to them for finding a tape measure that long. Next year, we will be a thousand miles further. Better wear an extra undershirt.
Actually, that won’t be necessary. Perihelion has no effect on weather. That’s mostly a product of the tilt of the earth on its axis, which is why January is a bad month for sunbathing despite the fact the Sun is practically breathing down our neck.
All that to say, Perihelion Day came off this year without a hitch or even much more than a mention in the Farmer’s Almanac. I saw it on a google feed somewhere and learned something for my next game of trivia.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love thinking about space, the universe, stars, and all the wonders that exist beyond our little blue planet. I watch Netflix shows about black holes. I “read” books about quantum physics. I have a chart of the solar system in my office. I have this chart because it’s cool, because I like to learn, and because people ask me about it. I tell them it reminds me how small we are.
At the bottom of the chart is a comparison of sizes of objects in the universe. It starts with Mars and Earth relative to Jupiter and Saturn. Then the other planets relative to the sun. Then the sun relative to the next biggest stars. Then the next biggest stars relative to even bigger stars. It ends with the biggest star we know of – UY Scuti – which has a radius 1700 times that of the sun. Almost 5 billion suns could fit inside of it. We are told a million earths could fit inside the sun. The Earth compared to UY Scuti? If so inclined, you can do the math. I was a communications major.
These things remind me how small we are, and how little we know. For all our wisdom and training, for all our technology and mastery of the world, for all our education and study--and for Christians--our understanding of God and theology--we know only a fraction of anything. Our presumed wealth of knowledge amounts to bankruptcy, to statistical zero, a meaningless nonfactor, like the difference between this year’s Perihelion and last year’s Perihelion.
Therefore, as I think about these things, and the times we live in, things like Perihelion Day and the chart of the Solar System help me remember what really matters. I could learn everything we are capable of learning, and still know virtually nothing. In a time when information is increasing exponentially, when we are bombarded with more than we can consume, and when power, pride, narcissism and negativity rule the day, making Jesus the center of my life is the most worthy pursuit.
Getting a little closer to the Son seems like a good way to spend this year.