Far, far away
Aphelion Day 2021: Here's when the Earth will be furthest from the Sun
About two weeks after the summer solstice, the Earth reaches the spot in its orbit where it’s furthest from the sun.
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This point is called aphelion, and Earth will reach it on July 5 this year.
Since our home planet travels in a lopsided, oval-shaped orbit, this phenomenon only happens once annually.
The other notable point is perihelion, where the Earth is closest to the sun.
That happens in January — about two weeks after the winter solstice.
And remember: the seasons are mainly influenced by the Earth’s tilt, not the point in its orbit. So don’t expect a notable change in temperature.
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We’ll be 3.4 percent further away from the sun than we were at perihelion, according to NASA.
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