It varies slightly, as Earth's orbit is not perfectly circular, but rather a slight ellipse.
At its nearest (ironically, for the Northern Hemisphere) in Winter, Earth is 147,098,100 km (91,402,520 miles) from the Sun.
At its furthest, Earth is 152,097,700 km (94,509,130 miles) - which is only 3.4% further.
Still, this slight difference means Southern Hemisphere Summers are slightly warmer, and Southern Hemisphere Winters are slightly colder than they are in the Northern Hemisphere.
The distance from Earth to the Sun varies throughout the year due to Earth's elliptical orbit. On average, it is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers). However, during summer in the Northern Hemisphere, Earth is actually farthest from the Sun in a point called aphelion, which is about 94.5 million miles (152 million kilometers) away.
The minimum distance between the Earth and the Sun occurs during perihelion, which is when the Earth is closest to the Sun in its elliptical orbit. This usually happens around January 3rd of each year.
Aphelion -- the point on its orbit when the Earth is farthest from the sun Perihelion -- the point on its orbit when the Earth is closest to the sun so== == == ==
The average distance of Earth from the Sun during its orbit is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers). This distance is known as an astronomical unit (AU) and is used as a convenient way to measure distances within our solar system.
Venus has an average distance from the Sun that is about 108% of Earth's distance. This makes Venus the planet closest to having a distance from the Sun that is 150% of Earth's distance.
The Earth reaches its greatest distance from the Sun during the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere. Though it may seem counterintuitive, the distance between the Earth and the Sun varies due to the elliptical shape of Earth's orbit, with the Earth being farthest from the Sun during the summer months.
The aphelion (farthest distance) from the Earth to the Sun is 152,098,232 km, and this occurs around July 3 each year. This is during summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The perihelion (closest distance) is 147,098,290 km, and this comes around January 4. This is during winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The variation in distance is only about 3%, and other factors mitigate the increased solar energy received.
The distance from Earth to the Sun during summer solstice is about 1.6 million miles further than the average distance of 93 million miles. This is because the orbit is an elliptical shape.
When Earth is closer to the Sun, it is in winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The distance between Earth and the Sun (known as Earth's orbital distance) doesn't significantly affect the seasons; the tilt of Earth's axis is the primary factor that determines the seasons.
The Earth's changing distance from the Sun during the year causes the seasons.
During summer months, the part of the world having summer is close to a right angle to the rays of the sun, giving the most heat to the area exposed. During winter, the tilt of the earth means the sun's rays strike the earth at an angle, meaning that they spread over a larger area, giving less heat. When it is summer in the northern half of the world, it is winter in the southern half. Temperature difference is not due to distance from the sun, but due to the tilt of the earth. If distance was the determining factor, both north and south would be the same temperature.
The Earth's orbit around the Sun is elliptical, not a perfect circle. This means that the distance between the Sun and Earth is constantly altering during the orbit of the Earth.
In the summer
The closest the earth gets to the sun is 146 million km (91 million miles) at perihelion, during winter in the Northern Hemisphere, which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere.We are farthest away at aphelion, during Northern Hemisphere summer, maximum distance is 152 million km (94.5 million miles).The average distance between the sun and the earth is 149 million kilometers (93 million miles).
No. As it happens the Earth is closest to the sun when it is winter in the northern hemisphere. Seasons like summer and winter are related to the tilt of the earth with respect to the plane of its orbit about the sun, not to the distance from the sun.
The Earth's revolution around the Sun, combined with its axial tilt. In summer at a particular latitude the heating effect of the Sun is usually a lot more than in the winter at that latitude. This is because the tilt is "towards" the Sun in the summer, but "away" from the Sun in the winter. The seasons are not caused by the small changes in the Earth's distance from the Sun during its orbit.
During the summer, which is the hottest therefore it's the closest to the sun.