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).

See also...

The Northern Solstice.

The Northern Solstice will fall on Sunday 21 June this year (2026), 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 day on which the Sun rises lowest in the sky and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere (where it is the Winter Solstice). Up until this date the days have been growing shorter in the Northern Hemisphere and longer in the Southern Hemisphere since the Southern Solstice in December last year (which is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere), but after it the situation will be reversed, with days growing steadily longer in the Northern Hemisphere and shorter in the Southern Hemisphere until the next Southern Solstice in December. 

The solstices are entirely a product of variation in the Earth's rotation on its axis, which is at an angle of 23.5° to the plain of the Earth's orbit about the Sun. This means that in December the Earth's Southern Pole is tilted towards the Sun, while the Northern Pole is tilted away from it. This means that around the Southern Solstice the Southern Hemisphere is receiving radiation from the Sun over a longer part of the than the Northern, and at a steeper angle (so that it to pass through less atmosphere to reach the planet), creating the southern summer and northern winter.

The tilt of the Earth at the Northern Solstice. Wikimedia Commons.

The solstices are fairly noticeable astronomical events, and tied to the seasons which govern the life cycles of life on Earth, and they have been celebrated under different names by cultures across the globe, but most notably by those at higher latitudes, who are more profoundly affected by the changes of the seasons.

See also...

Jupiter approaches opposition.

The planet Jupiter will come to opposition (be directly opposite the Sun) at 8.34  am GMT on Saturday 10 January 2026. This means that it will be at its closest to the Earth this year, about 4.23 AU (4.23 times the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, or about 632 800 000 km), and completely illuminated by the Sun. While it is not obvious to the naked eye observer, the planets have phases just like those of the Moon; being further from the Sun than the Earth, Jupiter is 'full' when directly opposite the Sun. 

The relative positions of Earth, Jupiter, and the planets of the Inner Solar System at 8.00 am on Saturday 10 January 2026. JPL Small Body Database.

While the relative positions of the planets have no direct influence on life on Earth, the opposition of Jupiter does present the best opportunity for observations of the planet by Earth-based observers. On Saturday 10 January, Jupiter will appear as a bright object in the constellation of Gemini. Seen through a moderate sized telescope both the planet and its larger moons should be visible, although the Moon will be quite bright, being just before its third quarter, which may hamper viewing somewhat.

See also...

The Earth approaches perihelion.

On Saturday 3 January 2025, at 5.15 pm, GMT, the Earth will reach its perihelion; the closest point on its orbit to the Sun, when it will be 147 099 894 km from the Sun. This is because the Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle, but varies by 3.3% over the course of a year. This perihelion distance varies each year; in 2025 the Earth reached 147 103 686 km from the Sun on 4 January and in 2027 it will reach 147 104 592 km from the Sun on 3 January.

The Earth's Aphelion and Perihelion. My Dark Sky.

This means that the Earth is at its closest to the Sun in the middle of the Northern Hemisphere's winter, counter-intuitive to most of the planet's population. This is, however, purely coincidental; the Earth's seasons are not caused by its distance from the Sun, which only varies by 3.3%, but rather by the tilt of the planet. The Earth is currently tilted at an angle of 25.5° to its plane of orbit (this varies on a timescale of tens of thousands of years, but remains fixed from the point of view of any human observer), causing the Sun to appear to rise higher and lower in the skies of each hemisphere as the year goes by. 

In the northern winter the Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, so that the days are longer there (and in around the Southern Solstice in December, permanently above the horizon at the South Pole). In addition, the Sun being directly overhead means that the energy from the Sun has to pass through less of the atmosphere before it reaches the surface of the Earth, so that less energy is lost to the atmosphere, causing greater surface warming in the hemisphere pointed towards the Sun.

How the tilt of the Earth relative to its plane of orbit causes the seasons. ESA.

See also...

The Southern Solstice.

The Southern (or December) Solstice this year falls on Sunday 21 December, with the Sun reaching its southernmost point in the sky at 3.04 pm GMT. 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 the Southern Hemisphere, where it is known as the Summer Solstice. At very high latitudes the sun may not rise (Northern Hemisphere) or set (Southern Hemisphere) for several weeks on either side of the Southern Solstice.

The solstices are entirely a product of variation in the Earth's rotation on its axis, which is at an angle of 23.5° to the plain of the Earth's orbit about the Sun. This means that in December the Earth's Southern Pole is tilted towards the Sun, while the Northern Pole is tilted away from it. This means that around the Southern Solstice the Southern Hemisphere is receiving radiation from the Sun over a longer part of the than the Northern, and at a steeper angle (so that it to pass through less atmosphere to reach the planet), creating the southern summer and northern winter.

The tilt of the Earth during the December Solstice. Wikimedia Commons.

The solstices are fairly noticeable astronomical events, and tied to the seasons which govern the life cycles of life on Earth, and they have been celebrated under different names by cultures across the globe, but most notably by those at higher latitudes, who are more profoundly affected by the changes of the seasons.

See also...

Uranus approaches opposition.

The planet Neptune will reach opposition (i.e. be directly opposite the Sun seen from Earth) at 17 minuted past noon GMT on Friday 21 November 2025. This means that it will both be at its closest to the Earth this year, about 18.51 AU (18.51 times the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, or about 2 769 000 000 km), and completely illuminated by the Sun. While it is not visible to the naked eye observer, the planets have phases just like those of the Moon; being further from the Sun than the Earth, Neptune is 'full' when directly opposite the Sun. 

The orbits and positions of Earth, Uranus, and the planets of the Outer Solar System at 12.00 noon GMT on Friday 21 November 2025. JPL Small Body Database.

While the relative positions of the planets have no direct influence on life on Earth, the opposition of Saturn does present the best opportunity for observations of the planet by Earth-based observers. Uranus is never visible to the naked eye, but on Friday 21 November the planet will be visible with a reasonable telescope in the constellation of Taurus, reaching its highest in the sky at about midnight.

Image of Uranus made with the Near-Infrared Camera on the James Webb Space Telescope, showing Uranus’s seasonal north polar cap and dim inner and outer rings, as well as  9 of the planet’s 27 moons – clockwise starting at 2 o’clock, they are: Rosalind, Puck, Belinda, Desdemona, Cressida, Bianca, Portia, Juliet, and Perdita. NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency/Space Telescope Institute.

Uranus orbits the Sun at an average distance of 19.2 AU, completing one orbit around the Sun every 84 years. This means that the planet is almost stationary compared to the faster moving Earth, so that it reaches Solar Opposition only four days later each year than the year before, and reaches conjunction (when it is directly behind the Sun seen from the Earth), roughly six months later.

See also...