Earth will reach its minimum distance from the Sun on January 3, 2026. The diameter of the star in professional photos will appear slightly larger than in July, when the distance between the planet and the star is maximum, writes is related to the press service of the Moscow Planetarium.
Astronomers have clarified that the distance between the Sun and Earth on this day will be very small and will be 147,099,586.2593 km (0.9833 astronomical units) and the apparent diameter of the Sun will be 32 arc minutes 35 seconds.
Those who want to take a photo of the Sun on this day or view it through binoculars or a telescope should be especially careful: a special solar filter must be installed on the device, otherwise there is a risk of eye burns, the planetarium warns.
Astronomers have concluded that January is not the best month to observe the Sun.
Previously it was reported that a unique parade of planets is expected in 2026 – for the first time in 20 thousand years, the convergence of Mars, Venus and the Sun will fall on Christmas (night of January 6-7).
Venus will approach the Sun first, then Mars and then Mercury. On January 22, the three planets will be at their minimum mean angular distance from the Sun, after which the parade will begin to disintegrate.
