Earth reaches aphelion, marking farthest point from Sun in annual orbit

Earth reaches aphelion, marking farthest point from Sun in annual orbit

Earth reached its annual aphelion on Monday, July 6, 2026, passing the farthest point in its orbit around the Sun. At 17:31 UTC, the planet reached a distance of 1.0166440 AU, which is approximately 152.1 million kilometers or 94,502,961 miles.

The event occurred at 8:30 p.m. Makkah time, according to reports from the Saudi Press Agency citing the Noor Astronomy Society and the Jeddah Astronomy Society. The term aphelion is derived from the Ancient Greek words apo, meaning away from, and helios, referring to the sun god in Greek mythology.

Because Earth’s orbit is elliptical rather than perfectly circular, its distance from the Sun varies by about 5 million kilometers, or roughly 3.4%, over the course of a year. This distance fluctuates from an average of 1 AU, which is about 149.6 million kilometers.

The Mechanics of the Seasons

Despite the planet being at its most distant point from the Sun, the Northern Hemisphere experienced summer during the event. Scientists say this reinforces that seasonal changes are driven by the planet’s axial tilt rather than its distance from the star.

Majed Abu Zahra, director of the Jeddah Astronomy Society, stated that the greater distance during aphelion does not result in cooler temperatures. He explained that seasonal changes are caused by the rotational axis of Earth, which is tilted at approximately 23.4 degrees. Issa Al-Ghafili, President of the Noor Astronomy Society, noted that the four seasons are determined by a 23.5-degree axial tilt. This tilt allows the Sun's rays to strike the Northern Hemisphere more directly during the summer months.

Conversely, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun during this period, receiving more indirect sunlight and resulting in cooler temperatures. This cycle repeats annually, with Earth reaching perihelion — its closest point to the Sun — during the Northern Hemisphere's winter.

Orbital Effects and Visual Changes

While distance does not dictate the temperature of the seasons, it does influence their duration. According to Kepler’s second law of planetary motion, planets travel more slowly when they are farther from the Sun. Because aphelion occurs in early July, Earth moves at its slowest orbital speed.

This orbital deceleration makes summer in the Northern Hemisphere the longest season, lasting almost five days longer than the Northern Hemisphere's winter. In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite occurs: summer is the shortest season by nearly five days.

The distance also affects the appearance of the Sun. At aphelion, the Sun appears about 3.4% smaller in the sky than it does at perihelion. However, the Jeddah Astronomy Society and other sources note that this difference is too small to be detected by the naked eye.

Long-term Orbital Drift

The timing of aphelion and perihelion is not fixed. Due to variations in the eccentricity of the orbit, these dates drift by a day every 58 years. In the short term, the dates can vary by up to two days from one year to another.

This drift means that the points of closest and farthest approach are not permanently locked to the solstices. For example, in 1246, the December solstice coincided with perihelion. Astronomers and mathematicians estimate that in 6430, perihelion will coincide with the March equinox.

The Noor Astronomy Society has encouraged the public to use these annual celestial events to dispel misconceptions regarding the causes of the seasons and to deepen their understanding of planetary science.