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It's All Uphill From Here: The Earth at Perihelion

NASA's SDO satellite image of the Sun taken within minutes of perihelion, at 04:46 UTC on Jan. 2, 2013.

Drawings of a circle and an ellipse representing Earth's orbit. Can you tell which is which?

As seen from above, a large planet orbits a star–or rather the star and planet orbit their shared center of mass, or barycenter.
( http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/barycenter/ )

As seen from the side, a large planet and star orbit their shared center of mass, or barycenter, with the star seeming to shift back and forth.
( http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/barycenter/ )

The size of the Sun at aphelion and perihelion.
( http://www.perseus.gr/Astro-Solar-Scenes-Aph-Perihelion.htm )
Jan. 2, 2013
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/01/02/perihelion_earth_is_closest_to_the_sun_today.html [with comments]

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