Aphelion: Earth's Farthest Point from the Sun

Key Points

• 1Earth reaches aphelion every July, with a distance of about 152.1 million km from the Sun.
• 2The Earth's orbit being elliptical is due to gravity, with Jupiter exerting the most influence because of its mass.
• 3Earth's eccentricity is 0.017, while Mars has an eccentricity of 0.094, and Pluto's is 0.244.
• 4At perihelion, Earth is closest to the Sun, roughly 147.1 million km away, occurring in early January.
• 5A common misconception is that Earth's varying distance is what gives rise to the seasons, but it is Earth's tilt on its axis.
• 6If Earth's orbit became more eccentric, seasons in the Southern Hemisphere could become extreme, potentially leading to catastrophic consequences.