![\"Earth](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783264154_730_0x0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Earth reaches aphelion on Monday, July 6, 2026, placing the planet at its farthest point from the sun in 2026. (Photo by Thomas Warnack\/picture alliance via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
dpa\/picture alliance via Getty Images<\/p>\n
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\u2019s center, according to Timeanddate<\/a>. 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\u2019t all it\u2019s cracked up to be.<\/p>\n How Earth\u2019s Distance To The Sun Changes<\/p>\n Earth\u2019s orbit is not a perfect circle, instead being slightly elongated, according to NOAA<\/a>. Aphelion \u2014 the point in an orbit that is the most distant from the sun, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory<\/a> \u2014 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\u2019s nothing \u2014 just a 3.4% range. It\u2019s not enough to override the main driver of the seasons \u2014 Earth\u2019s axial tilt. It\u2019s tilt that causes the different seasons in each hemisphere of our planet.<\/p>\n Aphelion \u2014 the point in an orbit that is the most distant from the sun \u2014 will occur at precisely 1:30 p.m. EDT on July 6. ts opposite, perihelion, will next happen at exactly 9:32 p.m. EDT on Jan. 2, 2027, when Earth is closest to the sun.<\/p>\n gettyWhy Earth\u2019s Tilt Drives The Seasons<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Why The Southern Hemisphere Is Different<\/p>\n 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\u2019s solstice \u2014 which heralds astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere \u2014 is the winter solstice, not the summer solstice.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Schematic showing how the position of the Earth around the Sun gives rise to the seasons. The Earth’s spin axis is tilted by an angle of 23.5 degrees. Summer begins in the northern hemisphere when the planet’s north pole is pointed most directly at the Sun (summer solstice). When the south pole is pointed at the Sun, it is summer in the south and winter in the north (winter solstice). Spring and autumn occur at intermediate positions in the orbit, known as the equinoxes. At the start of winter in the north, the Earth is at its closest to the Sun, a point in its orbit known as perihelion. When farthest away, during northern summer, the corresponding point in the orbit is called aphelion<\/p>\n gettyDistance Still Has A Small Effect<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In other words, Earth\u2019s distance from the sun matters, but not nearly as much as which hemisphere is leaning toward the sun.<\/p>\n What\u2019s Next In The Night Sky<\/p>\n 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:<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n