Eccentricity (Shape of Earth’s Orbit)

The orbit of the Earth around the sun is not constant. The orbit is in a constant state of flux, going between 0% (top image) and 5% (bottom image) about every 100,000 years. This changes the distance between the Earth and sun, which has an impact on the amount of shortwave radiation Earth receives. The more radiation the Earth receives, the warmer the climate will be.