Earth Reaches 94.5 Million Miles From Sun on July 6 as Northern Summer Peaks
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 30
Earth Reaches 94.5 Million Miles From Sun on July 6 as Northern Summer Peaks
3 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 30
Summary
17:30 UTC on July 6 marks Earth’s 2026 aphelion, when the planet will sit 94,502,961 miles, or 152.1 million km, from the Sun—its farthest point of the year.
That midsummer timing in the Northern Hemisphere does not contradict the seasons: Earth’s 23.5-degree axial tilt, not its distance from the Sun, drives summer and winter.
The orbit is only slightly elliptical, so Earth’s distance changes by a little over 3% across the year; sunlight at aphelion is about 7% weaker than at January’s perihelion near 91.4 million miles.
Kepler’s rule means Earth moves slowest when farthest from the Sun, helping make Northern Hemisphere summer the longest season—about five days longer than winter.