Earth's orbit around the Sun is elliptical, with the distance between the two bodies varying along the orbit. Earth reaches aphelion, its farthest point from the Sun, between July 2nd and 7th every year. This year, aphelion coincided with the new moon on July 5th, when Earth is about 3 million miles farther from the Sun than at perihelion (closest point).
Despite being farther from the Sun during aphelion, the Northern Hemisphere experiences the hottest time of the year due to Earth's axial tilt of 23.5 degrees, causing more direct sunlight and warmer temperatures.
Earth travels in an elliptical orbit around the Sun at an average speed of 107,280 kilometers per hour, covering a distance of 930 million kilometers. The translation speed varies, reaching a maximum of 110,700 km/h at perihelion and a minimum of 103,536 km/h at aphelion, a difference of 7,000 km/h.
The varying distance between Earth and the Sun during aphelion and perihelion results in a difference in radiant heat, but the 3% variation in distance is not enough to drastically affect seasonal temperatures.
Sources: Forbes, New York Times, Indian Express, Justin Weather, The Valley Post, Space.com
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
