Sunset over Earth oceans as seen from the International Space Station.
When Earth is Closest and Farthest from the Sun in 2023
Did you know that Earth reaches its closest point to the Sun about two weeks after the December solstice? It happens on January 4, 2023! We call this point in Earth’s orbit around the Sun “perihelion.” Interestingly, we’re closest to our fiery star in the winter and farthest away in the hot summer. Learn all about perihelion and aphelion!
What Are Perihelion and Aphelion?
The terms perihelion and aphelion describe different points in the Earth’s orbit of the Sun.
Remember that the Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical path—which is oval, not circular. This means that the Earth is about 3 million miles nearer to the Sun in January at its nearest point than in July at its farthest point.
- Aphelion is the point of the Earth’s orbit that is farthest away from the Sun.
- Perihelion is the point of the Earth’s orbit that is nearest to the Sun.
The words come from Ancient Greek, in which helios means “Sun,” apo means “far,” and peri means “close.”
Perihelion and Aphelion in 2023
In 2023, Earth is at perihelion on January 4 at 11:17 A.M. Eastern Time and will be at aphelion on July 6 at 4:06 P.M. Eastern Time.
This year, Earth will be 91,403,034 miles away from the Sun at perihelion and 94,506,364 miles away from the Sun at aphelion.
When Are Aphelion and Perihelion?
- Aphelion always happens in early July. About two weeks after the June solstice, Earth is farthest from the Sun.
- Perihelion always happens in early January. About two weeks after the December Solstice, Earth is closest to the Sun.
Did you know that the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is also elliptical? The point in the Moon’s orbit that is closest to the Earth is called the “perigee” and the point farthest from the Earth is known as the “apogee.” Perigee and Apogee are often confused.
Are Aphelion and Perihelion Related to Earth’s Seasons?
It’s the not the distance from the Sun that causes our seasons. Seasons happen because Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle. It’s because Earth orbits the Sun on a tilt that our planet gets more or less of the Sun’s direct rays at different times of the year. Read more about the reason for the seasons!
Aphelion and Perihelion on Mars
Though aphelion and perihelion are terms mostly used in reference to Earth since it’s our home planet, they are also relevant to other planets orbiting the Sun. Every planet has points in the orbits when they are farthest or closest away from their star.
For example, planet Mars has an even more elliptical orbit than Earth. In comparison, Earth’s orbit seems almost circular; this almost-circular orbit may be why Earth’s climate is relatively stable.
Mars also has four seasons but they are twice as long because it takes about two Earth years for Mars to go around the Sun. The southern hemisphere of Mars has a warmer, shorter spring and summer than in the north, as Mars is closest to the Sun towards the end of southern spring. The southern winter is longer because Mars is farthest away from the Sun then, moving more slowly in its elliptical orbit around the Sun.
For Mars, going from a colder winter to a warmer spring can be quite dramatic.
Image credit: JPL.NASA.gov
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How I remember the difference in the two words is that I think of apogee as being similar to the word apology…. And the sun is apologizing to the earth for being so far away!
That’s a clever idea, Mary Beth. Thanks for sharing!
If the Earth is closest to the sun in January, why do we have winter at this time of year in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern? Would it have anything to do with the tilt of Earth, implying the southern hemisphere is closer to the sun in January than the northern?
Yes, it’s all about the tilt! During the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, but during summer, it’s tilted towards the Sun.
The article states that aphelion and perihelion occur about two weeks after the solstices, yet the image shows the solstices occurring after aphelion and perihelion, not like the article states.
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