Earth is closest to the sun in summer and farthest in winter, right? Wrong. Earth reaches aphelion on Monday, July 6, 2026, placing the planet at its farthest point from the sun in 2026. At that moment, Earth will be about 94.5 million miles (152.1 million kilometers) from the sun’s center, according to Timeanddate. If the distance between Earth and the sun is at its greatest, conventional wisdom dictates that cooler weather should result. Instead, many people across the Northern Hemisphere are dealing with high summer temperatures, strong sunshine and long days. How can it be so hot on Earth Aphelion Day? Once again, conventional wisdom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
How Earth’s Distance To The Sun Changes
Earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle, instead being slightly elongated, according to NOAA. Aphelion — the point in an orbit that is the most distant from the sun, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory — will occur at precisely 1:30 p.m. EDT on July 6. Its opposite, perihelion, will next happen at exactly 9:32 p.m. EDT on Jan. 2, 2027, when Earth is closest to the sun. The difference between those two distances is about 3.1 million miles (5 million kilometers). On the scale of the solar system, that’s nothing — just a 3.4% range. It’s not enough to override the main driver of the seasons — Earth’s axial tilt. It’s tilt that causes the different seasons in each hemisphere of our planet.
Why Earth’s Tilt Drives The Seasons
Earth spins on an axis tilted by about 23.5 degrees. During July, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun and the Southern Hemisphere away from it. That angle gives northern locations longer days and more direct sunlight. With solar energy concentrated over a smaller surface area, the ground and air are heated more efficiently. Since days are longer, everything in the hemisphere absorbs more heat. This explains why the Northern Hemisphere experiences intense summer heat even when Earth is farther from the sun than at any other time of year.
Why The Southern Hemisphere Is Different
While the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun in July, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from it. That is why countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina experience winter during Northern Hemisphere summer. For these locations, June’s solstice — which heralds astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere — is the winter solstice, not the summer solstice.
In January, the situation reverses. Earth is closest to the sun near perihelion, but the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, producing winter conditions despite the slightly shorter distance between the Earth and the sun.
Distance Still Has A Small Effect
Earth receives slightly less solar energy at aphelion than at perihelion because sunlight spreads out over a greater distance. However, that effect is much smaller than the seasonal impact of axial tilt, day length and sun angle.
In other words, Earth’s distance from the sun matters, but not nearly as much as which hemisphere is leaning toward the sun.
What’s Next In The Night Sky
July offers one of the best stargazing stretches of the year beginning Tuesday, July 7, as the last-quarter moon rises near midnight and keeps evening skies dark through Thursday, July 16. That makes it an excellent window for camping, skywatching and escaping light pollution. The month has plenty of celestial highlights:
- July 8: Venus appears about one degree from bright star Regulus after sunset.
- July 11: A slim 13%-lit waning crescent moon will appear near Mars and Aldebaran before sunrise, with the Pleiades star cluster also in view.
- July 17: A 17%-lit waxing crescent moon will appear to the left of Venus after nightfall as the annual Perseid meteor shower begins.
- July 29: The full Buck Moon rises in the east during dusk.
- July 30-31: Delta Aquariid and Alpha Capricornid meteor showers peak overnight.
Looking ahead, Aug. 12 brings two major skywatching events. A total solar eclipse will be visible from parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, with a partial eclipse seen across parts of North America and Europe. That same night, the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak under dark, moonless skies.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
