Astronomy Essentials

Earth farthest from sun – at aphelion – July 6, 2026

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July 1, 2026

Earth reaches its farthest point from the sun on July 6 … but it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere. How can that be? We’ll explain the science behind aphelion and then take a tour of July’s best sights in the night sky, from the Milky Way to the moon, planets and meteors. Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd to find out more in this video. Watch in the player above, or on YouTube.

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Earth farthest from the sun

Our planet Earth reaches aphelion – its greatest distance from the sun for this year – at 12:30 p.m. CDT (17:30 UTC) on July 6. At that time, Earth will be 94,502,961 miles (152,087,774 km) from the sun. It’s summer already in the Northern Hemisphere. And Earth’s aphelion always comes in July, in the midst of Northern Hemisphere summer (and Southern Hemisphere winter). So you know our distance from the sun doesn’t cause Earth’s seasons.

Why does our distance from the sun change? Basically, it’s because Earth’s orbit is almost, but not quite, circular. Our distance from the sun doesn’t change much, percentage-wise (a little over 3%). So today we’re about 3 million miles (5 million km) farther from the sun than we will be six months from now. That’s in contrast to our average distance from the sun of about 93 million miles (150 million km).

Silhouette of a young woman, her hands cupping the low sun, against the background of the sea. — Earth is farthest from the sun on July 6. Read more here. Image via IStockPhoto.

Apo and helios

By the way, the word aphelion comes from the Greek words apo meaning away, off, apart and helios, for the Greek god of the sun. Apart from the sun. That’s us, in early July. But we’re not much farther apart than usual. See the diagram below.

Diagram showing Earth's orbit with closest and farthest points from the sun labeled. — Earth-sun distance differences between the January perihelion (closest point) and July aphelion (farthest point). Earth is farthest from the sun when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Our orbit around the sun is almost, but not quite, circular. Image via NASA.

The sun, divided in half, with one half bigger and the other smaller. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Michael Teoh submitted this composite image of the sun from Malaysia and wrote: “A comparison of the angular size of the sun during the most recent aphelion (farthest point) in 2025 and perihelion (closest point) in 2026. The angular diameter of the sun during the perihelion of 2026 was about 3.4% larger than it was during the aphelion of 2025.” Thank you, Michael!

What causes the seasons?

The seasons aren’t due to Earth’s changing distance from the sun. In fact, we’re always farthest from the sun in early July during northern summer and closest in January during northern winter.

Instead, the seasons result from Earth’s tilt on its axis. Right now, it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere because the northern part of Earth is tilted most toward the sun. As a result, we’re receiving the sun’s rays most directly

Meanwhile, it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere because the southern part of Earth is tilted most away from the sun. The more indirect sunlight causes cooler temperatures.

Closest and farthest points tied to solstices?

The short answer is no. It’s true that Earth is farthest from the sun every year in early July, about two weeks after the June solstice. And it’s true that Earth is closest to the sun every year in early January, about two weeks after the December solstice. Is it a coincidence? Yes, it is. Over the long course of time, the dates of Earth’s closest and farthest points to the sun shift with respect to the solstices.

According to timeanddate.com:

Due to variations in the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit, the dates when the Earth reaches its perihelion or aphelion are not fixed. In 1246, the December solstice was on the same day as the Earth reached its perihelion. Since then, the perihelion and aphelion dates have drifted by a day every 58 years. In the short term, the dates can vary up to two days from one year to another.

Mathematicians and astronomers estimate that in 6430, over 4000 years from now, the perihelion will coincide with the March equinox.

Visual size difference when Earth is farthest from sun

The setting sun, a solid yellow circle with thin border of gray around it. — At aphelion, our most distant point from the sun, the sun does appear a bit smaller in our sky. This composite image illustrates the difference. This image consists of 2 photos, taken just days away from a perihelion (Earth’s closest point to the sun) in January 2016, and at aphelion (Earth’s farthest point from the sun) in July 2017. The gray rim around the sun (the perihelion photo) illustrates that. As seen in our sky, the sun is about 3.6% bigger at perihelion than aphelion. This difference is, of course, too small to detect with the eye. And never look at the sun without proper filters! Photo by Peter Lowenstein of Mutare, Zimbabwe. Used with permission.

Bottom line: Planet Earth reaches its most distant point from the sun for 2026 on July 6. Astronomers call this yearly point in Earth’s orbit our aphelion.

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July 1, 2026

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Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:

Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.