The Earth approaches aphelion.

The Earth will reach its aphelion, the furthest point in its orbit from the Sun, a distance of 1.017 AU (1.017 times the average distance between the Earth and the Sun) or 152 141 035 km, at 5.30 pm GMT on Monday 6 July 2026. 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 further from the Sun than last year (2025), when the Earth reached 152 087 733 km from the Sun on Thursday 3 July, or next year, when it will only reach a distance of 152 100 479 km on Tuesday 6 July.

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).

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The Earth approaches aphelion.

The Earth will reach its aphelion, the furthest point in its orbit from the Sun, a distance of 1.017 AU (1.017 times the average distance between the Earth and the Sun) or 152 099 968 km, at 5.06 am GMT on Friday 5 July 2023. 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 (2023), when the Earth reached 152 290 632 km from the Sun on 5 July, but slightly further from the Sun last year, when it will only reacha distance of 152 087 774 km.

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).

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Venus approaches aphelion.

The planet Venus will reach apihelion (the furthest point on its orbit to the Sun) at 2.43 pm GMT on Friday 10 July 2020, when it will be 0.73 AU (109 206 000 km) from the Sun. This is only 0.01 AU (1 496 000) more distant than the planet's periphelion (closest point on its orbit from the Sun), as Venus has the least eccentric circular orbit of any planet in our Solar System, this is about 1% the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

 The relative positions of Mars, Earth, Venus and Mercury on 10 July 2020. From the point of view of an Earth based observer the Venusian perihelion will make no difference to the planets visibility. JPL Small Body Database Browser.

Because Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, its year is somewhat shorter, only 224.7 Earth days compared to 365.25 for the Earth, and Venus's last aphelion fell on 28 November 2019. Despite a Venusian Year having passed since this date, the planet has not yet completed a full day, as a Venusian day is actually longer than its year, at 243 Earth days, with Venus rotating clockwise on its axis while orbiting the Sun anti-clockwise. Exactly why this occurs is uncertain, as all other planets both orbit and rotate in an anti-clockwise direction; it is uncertain whether the planet has reached this situation by slow evolution of its orbit over billions of years from an unstable condition within the original protoplanetary disk from which all the planets formed, or whether its modern orbit results from an encounter with some other body at some point in the past. Either way Venus is unique in that (were it possible to see the sky from the planet's surface) the Sun would appear to pass across the sky from west to east, and that the time it took to complete a circuit from the perspective of a viewer on the surface would be significantly from the length of the planet's 'day'. This is because the shorter Venusian year affects the movement of the Sun across the sky more than the longer day, so that it is possible to talk about a 'Solar Day' on Venus (the length of time it takes a feature on the planet's surface to pass from directly under the Sun round to back directly under the Sun), only 116.75 days.

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Earth approaches aphelion.

The Earth will reach its aphelion, the furthest point in its orbit from the Sun, a distance of 152 104 285 km, at 1011 pm GMT on Thursday 4 July 2015. 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's, when the Earth reached 152 141 035 km from the Sun on 6 July.

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).

n fact the Earth could potentially move quite a bit in its orbit and still maintain an equitable climate, possibly even if it was as far out as Mars (1.5 AU), though presumably this would be somewhat cooler. Mars is a frozen wasteland largely because it is small and airless. The Earth, being larger, is able to sustain a thicker gaseous atmosphere, leading to a greenhouse effect that keeps the planet warm. Probes on the Red Planet have found abundant geological indicators of running water on the surface, suggesting that ancient Mars had a thicker atmosphere which could support liquid water, but this has now gone, the low gravity of the planet having let it escape molecule by molecule.

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The September Equinox.

The September Equinox will falls on 22 September this year (2016), when the day and night will be of equal length in both of the Earth's hemispheres. The Earth spins on its axis at an angle to the plain of the Solar System. This means that the poles of the Earth do not remain at 90° to the Sun, but rather the northern pole is tilted towards the Sun for six months of the year (the northern summer), and the southern pole for the other six months (the southern summer). This means that twice a year neither pole is inclined towards the Sun, on days known as the equinoxes. 

 Simplified diagram showing the tilt of the Earth throughout the year. Not to scale. The Human Adventures in Space Exploration.

The equinoxes fall each year in March and September, with the March Equinox being the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the Autumn Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere, while the September Equinox is the Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the Spring Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. On these two days the day and night are both exactly twelve hours long at every point on the planet, the only days on which this happens.

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Earth reaches its aphelion.                             The Earth reached its aphelion, the furthest point in its orbit from the Sun, a distance of 152 111 120 km, at 4.24 pm GMT on Monday 4 July 2016. The Earth's orbit is slightly eccentric and slightly variable, leading to the distance between the Earth and the...

The June Solstice.                                         The June (or Northern) Solstice falls on Monday 20 June in 2016, the day on which the Sun rises highest in the sky and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (where it is the...

March Equinox, 2016.                                  The March Equinox fell on 20 March this year. The Earth spins on its...

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Earth reaches its aphelion.

The Earth reached its aphelion, the furthest point in its orbit from the Sun, a distance of 152 111 120 km, at 4.24 pm GMT on Monday 4 July 2016. 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 further the Sun than last year's, when the Earth reached 152 093 481 km from the Sun on 6 July. In three years time, on 4 July 2019 the Earth will reach its furtherst point from the Sun this century, at a distance of 152 114 291 km.

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).

In fact the Earth could potentially move quite a bit in its orbit and still maintain an equitable climate, possibly even if it was as far out as Mars (1.5 AU), though presumably this would be somewhat cooler. Mars is a frozen wasteland largely because it is small and airless. The Earth, being larger, is able to sustain a thicker gaseous atmosphere, leading to a greenhouse effect that keeps the planet warm. Probes on the Red Planet have found abundant geological indicators of running water on the surface, suggesting that ancient Mars had a thicker atmosphere which could support liquid water, but this has now gone, the low gravity of the planet having let it escape molecule by molecule.

See also...

The June Solstice.                                         The June (or Northern) Solstice falls on Monday 20 June in 2016, the day on which the Sun rises highest in the sky and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (where it is the...

March Equinox, 2016.                                  The March Equinox fell on 20 March this year. The Earth spins on its...

The 2015 December Solstice.                       The December (or Southern) Solstice this year falls on Tuesday 22 December, when the Sun is at its southernmost point in the sky. This is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is known as the Winter Solstice and the longest day in...

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Earth reaches aphelion.

The Earth will reach its aphelion, the furthest point in its orbit from the Sun, a distance of 152 093 481 km, at 7.41 pm GMT on Monday 6 July 2015. 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's, when the Earth reached 152 093 403 km from the Sun on 4 July.

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).

In fact the Earth could potentially move quite a bit in its orbit and still maintain an equitable climate, possibly even if it was as far out as Mars (1.5 AU), though presumably this would be somewhat cooler. Mars is a frozen wasteland largely because it is small and airless. The Earth, being larger, is able to sustain a thicker gaseous atmosphere, leading to a greenhouse effect that keeps the planet warm. Probes on the Red Planet have found abundant geological indicators of running water on the surface, suggesting that ancient Mars had a thicker atmosphere which could support liquid water, but this has now gone, the low gravity of the planet having let it escape molecule by molecule.

See also...

The June Solstice.

The June (or Northern) Solstice falls on Sunday 21 June in 2015, the day on which the Sun rises highest in the sky and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (where it is the Summer Solstice) and...

The 4 April 2015 Total Lunar Eclipse.

A total Lunar Eclipse will occur on a April 2015, starting at about 9.00 am GMT. It will be visible across much of the Pacific, as well as most of Alaska, the Russian Far East, eastern Japan and eastern Australia. Part of...

The 2015 March Equinox.

The March Equinox fell on 20 March this year. The Earth spins on its axis at an angle to the plain of the Solar System. This means that the poles of the Earth do not remain at 90° to the Sun, but rather the northern pole is tilted towards the Sun for six months of the year (the northern summer), and the southern pole for the...

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The Earth reaches its aphelion.

At midnight between Thursday 3 and Friday 4 July 2014 the Earth will reach its aphelion, the furthest point in its orbit from the Sun, a distance of 152 093 481 km. 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's, when the Earth reached 152 097 427 km from the Sun on 5 July.

Graphic showing the eccentricities of Mercury, Earth and Mars; the dotted lines represent a circular orbit centered on the Sun, the solid lines the actual orbit. Spaceweather.

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.

In fact the Earth could potentially move quite a bit in its orbit and still maintain an equitable climate, possibly even if it was as far out as Mars (1.5 AU), though presumably this would be somewhat cooler. Mars is a frozen wasteland largely because it is small and airless. The Earth, being larger, is able to sustain a thicker gaseous atmosphere, leading to a greenhouse effect that keeps the planet warm. Probes on the Red Planet have found abundant geological indicators of running water on the surface, suggesting that ancient Mars had a thicker atmosphere which could support liquid water, but this has now gone, the low gravity of the planet having let it escape molecule by molecule.

See also...

 Annular Eclipse to be visible from Australia, Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean, 29 April 2014.

An Annular Eclipse will occur on Tuesday 29 April 2014, starting at about 3.52 am GMT. It will be visible from Australia, much of Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean, eastern Java and the islands of the Bali, Flores and Savu Seas, though a full Annular...

 Total Lunar Eclipse on 15 April 2014.

A total Lunar Eclipse will occur on 15 Aril 2014, starting at about 4.35 am GMT. It will be visible across much of Canada and the United States, as well as all of Mexico and Central America, western South America and many Pacific and Caribbean Islands. Part of the eclipse will be visible from remaining areas of the Americas as...

 The planet Mars passes the Earth.

The planet Mars will make its closest pass to the Earth since December 2007, coming within 92 000 000 km of us on 14 April 2014. This will make the planet a particularly bright object, visible in the night sky from anywhere on Earth in the constellation of Virgo, close to...

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Annular Eclipse to be visible from Australia, Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean, 29 April 2014.

An Annular Eclipse will occur on Tuesday 29 April 2014, starting at about 3.52 am GMT. It will be visible from Australia, much of Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean, eastern Java and the islands of the Bali, Flores and Savu Seas, though a full Annular Eclipse will only be visible from a small area of Antarctica.

Map showing the areas from which the 29 April 2014 Annular Eclipse will be visible. A total Annular Eclipse will only be visible from the dark grey semi-circle on Antarctica. The full extent of the eclipse will be visible as a Partial Eclipse from the dark grey area; in the light grey area it will either begin before dawn or continue after sunset. HM Nautical Almanac Office.

An Annular Eclipse is a type of Solar Eclipse, that is to say an eclipse in which the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, but one which occurs while the moon is close to aphelion (when it is furthest from the Earth). The Moon has a variable orbit, getting considerably closer and further from the Earth at different times, which alters its size as seen from the Earth. Thus when it is at its furthest from the Earth it appears considerably smaller than the Sun so an eclipse occurring at this time will produce a ring of sunlight, rather than a period of darkness. A Partial Annular Eclipse resembles a regular Partial Eclipse, in that the light of the Sun will be partially blocked by the Moon passing in from of it, though the disk of the Moon will be smaller.

An Annular Eclipse on 20 May 2013, photographed from Middlegate, Nevada. Wikipedia.

See also...

 Total Lunar Eclipse on 15 April 2014.

 The planet Mars passes the Earth.

 The March Equinox.

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