During What Month Is The Sun Closest To Earth [updated] Jun 2026

She walked to the front of the room and dimmed the lights. An image of an oval appeared on the projector screen.

Earth does not travel in a perfect circle around the sun; instead, it follows an . This means the distance between the two bodies varies throughout the year by approximately 3.1 million miles (5 million kilometers). Why Earth is Closest to Sun in Dead of Winter | Space

"Precisely," Mrs. Higgins said. "The event is called perihelion . It usually occurs between January 3rd and January 5th. At that time, Earth is about 91.4 million miles from the sun. Conversely, during the month we are in now, July, Earth is at aphelion —our farthest point—about 94.5 million miles away."

"July," Harold said confidently. "Maybe June." during what month is the sun closest to earth

And every January, when people shivered and complained about the frigid depths of winter, Leo and Mia would look up at the pale sun—larger, technically, than any summer sun—and whisper to each other:

“July, sweetheart. Definitely July.”

Leo smiled. “Exactly.”

The classroom was stiflingly hot. Outside the windows of Westview Middle School, the heat haze shimmered off the asphalt parking lot, making the distant trees look like melting wax figures.

Harold sat up, gesturing vaguely at the window. "The seasons. The temperature. It's July. It's boiling hot. Logic dictates that means we must be closer to the sun, right? Like, if you stand closer to a campfire, you get warmer. But then why is it freezing in Australia right now? And why is the news saying we're at our furthest point?"

Not that you’d ever feel it. But somehow, knowing made the cold a little more bearable. She walked to the front of the room and dimmed the lights

The following table highlights the differences between the two orbital extremes as reported by AstroPixels : Perihelion (Closest) Aphelion (Farthest) Early January Early July Distance (Miles) ~91.4 million ~94.5 million Distance (Kilometers) ~147.1 million ~152.1 million Orbital Speed ~30.3 km/s (Fastest) ~29.3 km/s (Slowest) Apparent Size ~3.4% larger ~3.4% smaller

She picked up a globe and tilted it.

Mia frowned, hugging her jacket tighter against the January chill. “But it’s cold now. If it’s farther away, shouldn’t it be even colder?” This means the distance between the two bodies

Leo scrolled down. An animation showed Earth’s elliptical orbit—not a perfect circle, but a slight oval. The sun sat off-center. In early January, Earth reaches perihelion , its closest point: about 91.4 million miles away. In July, aphelion : nearly 94.5 million miles. A difference of three million miles—enough to affect the sun’s apparent size, but not enough to override the seasons.