The point in the orbit when the a planet is closest to the sun is called perihelion.  The point when the planet is furthest from the sun is called the aphelion.

The planet orbits faster when it is closest to the sun.  So perihelion is the point in the orbit when the planet is traveling the fastest.  In the case of earth’s orbit, perihelion occurs in early January, while aphelion occurs in early July.  This is why our calendar months have irregular lengths.  The planet gets more sunshine at perihelion, and less at aphelion, because of the inverse square law.