Earth farthest from the sun: orange sunset over water, with a ship in the foreground.
On July 4, 2022, the Earth will reach aphelion - the point farthest from the Sun - at 7:00 UTC.
But the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing its hottest summer, so you'll understand that our distance from the sun doesn't cause Earth's seasonal changes.
The exact distance between the Earth and the Sun at aphelion in 2022 is 152,098,455 kilometers.
The Earth's orbit is almost circular, but not quite. Therefore, our distance from the Sun does not change much in percentage terms (a little over 3%).
What causes seasons?
The changing seasons are not due to the changing distance between the Earth and the Sun. In northern summer we are always furthest from the sun in early July, while in northern winter we are closest to the sun in January.
seasons are caused by the earth's tilt around its axis. Right now, it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere because the northern part of the Earth is closest to the sun. We receive sunlight most directly.
At the same time, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere because the southern part of the Earth is the greatest distance from the sun. The more indirect sunlight, the cooler the temperature.
Read more: Why the Earth has four seasons
However, the distance between the Earth and the Sun does affect the length of the seasons. This is because, at its furthest point from the sun, as it is now, the Earth moves slowest in its orbit. This makes summer the longest season in the Northern Hemisphere and winter the longest season in the Southern Hemisphere.
Conversely, winter is the shortest season in the Northern Hemisphere and summer is the shortest season in the Southern Hemisphere, nearly five days shorter in each case.
Earth's perihelion and aphelion from 2001 to 2100
Diagram showing aphelion and perihelion.
Indeed, the Earth is farthest from the sun in early July each year, about two weeks after the June solstice. In fact, every year in early January, two weeks after the December solstice, the Earth is closest to the sun. Is this a coincidence? Yes, it is. Over long periods of time, the dates of the Earth's closest and furthest points from the Sun shift relative to the summer solstice.
Due to changes in the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit , the date when the Earth reaches perihelion or aphelion is not fixed. In 1246, the December solstice occurred on the same day that the Earth reached perihelion. Since then, the dates of perihelion and aphelion have drifted by one day every 58 years. In the short term, dates may differ by up to two days each year.
Mathematicians and astronomers estimate that in more than 4,000 years, perihelion will coincide with the March equinox.
At aphelion, the point farthest away from the Sun, the Sun does appear a bit smaller in our sky. This composite image illustrates the difference. This photo consists of two photos, one taken a few days from perihelion (the point where the Earth is closest to the sun) in January 2016 and a few days away from aphelion (the point where the Earth is furthest from the sun) in July 2017. The gray rim around the Sun (actually the perihelion photo) shows that, as seen in our sky, the Sun is approximately 3.6% more at perihelion than at aphelion. Of course, this difference is too small to detect with the eye (never look at the sun without a suitable filter).
three suns images appearing in succession, each image is slightly different in size.
Animation of the image above… The difference in size of the Sun between its perihelion (closest point) and aphelion (farthest point) to Earth.
In one sentence: On July 4, 2022, the Earth reaches its furthest point from the sun. Astronomers call this point in Earth's orbit our aphelion.
