BTN News: In July, one interesting event happens in space. The Earth reaches its farthest point from the Sun, known as aphelion. This is the opposite of perihelion, which occurs in early January when the Earth is closest to the Sun. Let’s understand when aphelion happens and why it occurs.
What is Aphelion and How Does It Affect Earth?
Aphelion is when the Earth is farthest from the Sun. This happens because the Earth’s path around the Sun is not a perfect circle but an ellipse.
Interestingly, during aphelion, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This may seem odd, but it is due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis. This tilt causes the Sun to shine more directly and for longer periods on the Northern Hemisphere during summer.
The Earth’s path around the Sun has a slight oval shape. This tilt has more effect on temperature than the distance from the Sun. For planets with more oval paths, like Pluto, the distance from the Sun greatly affects their temperatures.
When Will Aphelion Occur in 2024 and How Far Will Earth Be?
In 2024, the Earth will reach its aphelion on July 5. It will be 152,100,075 km from the Sun. This is a regular event that happens once every year because of the Earth’s oval path around the Sun.
How Far is the Earth from the Sun During Aphelion?
During aphelion, the Earth is about 152,103,771 km from the Sun. For example, in 2018, aphelion happened on July 6. At this point, the Earth moves 7,000 km/h slower than at perihelion.
The distance between aphelion and perihelion is about five million kilometers. To understand better, this distance is about 13 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
A fun fact is that the Earth’s speed changes; it moves faster when closer to the Sun and slower when farther away. This makes summer in the Northern Hemisphere about five days longer than winter.
