The
Earth will reach its aphelion, the furthest point in its orbit from the
Sun, a distance of 152 095 295 km, at 12.34 pm GMT on Saturday 4 July
2020. The Earth's orbit is slightly eccentric and slightly variable,
leading to the distance between the Earth and the Sun varying by about
3.4% over time, reaching aphelion early in July each year and perihelion
(the closest point on its orbit to the Sun) early in January. The exact
distance at aphelion and perihelion each year varies, with this year's
aphelion being slightly closer to the Sun than last year (2019), when the
Earth reached 152 104 285 km from the Sun on 4 July, as well as next year, when it will reach 152 100 527 km from the Sun.
The difference between the Earth's perihelion (closest point to the Sun) and aphelion (furthest point from the Sun). Time and Date.
This is counter intuitive to inhabitants of the Earth's Northern Hemisphere, who often assume that the Earth is closest to the Sun in midsummer, when in fact it is at its furthest away. This is because the tilt of the Earth plays a far greater role in our seasons than the distance from the Sun, and the Northern Hemisphere has just passed its Summer Solstice, i.e. the point at which the North Pole was pointing as close to the Sun as it ever gets, so that the Northern Hemisphere is currently getting much more sunlight than the Southern. The Earth's surface receives about 7% less sunlight at aphelion to at perihelion, but this is far less than the seasonal variation caused by the tilt of the Earth (23% in each hemisphere).
IThis is counter intuitive to inhabitants of the Earth's Northern
Hemisphere, who often assume that the Earth is closest to the Sun in
midsummer, when in fact it is at its furthest away. This is because the
tilt of the Earth plays a far greater role in our seasons than the
distance from the Sun, and the Northern Hemisphere has just passed its
Summer Solstice, i.e. the point at which the North Pole was pointing as
close to the Sun as it ever gets, so that the Northern Hemisphere is
currently getting much more sunlight than the Southern. The Earth's
surface receives about 7% less sunlight at aphelion to at perihelion,
but this is far less than the seasonal variation caused by the tilt of
the Earth (23% in each hemisphere).
See also...
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