APOD: 2021 July 8 - Perihelion to Aphelion

Thank you my friend Maj William W. 'Bill' Price for posting the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for Thursday, July 8, 2021 entitled "Perihelion to Aphelion."

Image: Perihelion to Aphelion Image Credit & Copyright - Richard Jaworski

Wonderful blended image of the fiery globe we call the sun that provides light and heat to our planet by God's grace in creation. Whether the planet earth is at the closest point [perihelion] or at the farthest point [aphelion] in our annual elliptical orbit there is sufficient heat and light for life to blossom on earth.
Glory to God.

I pray that each of you along with those you cherish are sleeping peacefully and will awaken refreshed on Friday, July 9, 2021

APOD Background
"Explanation: Aphelion for 2021 occurred on July 5th. That's the point in Earth's elliptical orbit when it is farthest from the Sun. Of course, the distance from the Sun doesn't determine the seasons. Those are governed by the tilt of Earth's axis of rotation, so July is still summer in the north and winter in the southern hemisphere. But it does mean that on July 5 the Sun was at its smallest apparent size when viewed from planet Earth. This composite neatly compares two pictures of the Sun, both taken with the same telescope and camera. The left half was captured close to the date of the 2021 perihelion (January 2), the closest point in Earth's orbit. The right was recorded just before the aphelion in 2021. Otherwise difficult to notice, the change in the Sun's apparent diameter between perihelion and aphelion amounts to a little over 3 percent."

Near or Far - Carissa Rae Alvarado
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzMwv9AskyY

FYI COL Mikel J. BurroughsLTC (Join to see) MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Sgt Albert Castro PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SSG Samuel Kermon A1C Riley SandersGySgt Thomas Vick CPL Douglas Chrysler SP5 Geoffrey Vannerson Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen GySgt Jack WallaceMSgt James Clark-RosaCSM Charles Hayden PO2 (Join to see) A1C Ian Williams CPT (Join to see) SMSgt Mark Venzeio

Cool.

And what is the explanation for the 3% change?