Explorer

Earth Will Be Farthest From The Sun On July 7. Know The Exact Timing, And The Science Behind The Event

When Earth reaches aphelion, it will be at a distance of 15,20,93,251 kilometres from Earth. This is almost equal to 152.1 million kilometres. 

Earth will be at its farthest from the Sun on Friday, July 7. This is because the Blue Planet will be at aphelion, which refers to the point in the orbit of a celestial body most distant from the Sun. This year, Earth will reach aphelion at 20 UTC on July 6 (1:30 am IST on July 7), according to Earth Sky. The planet will be at a distance of 15,20,93,251 kilometres from Earth. This is almost equal to 152.1 million kilometres. 

Every year, Earth reaches aphelion in July, a few days after summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, and winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. 

The word aphelion is derived from the Greek words apo, which means away or apart, and helios, which is the Greek God of the Sun. Therefore, aphelion means "apart from the Sun". 

The science behind aphelion

Since Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit, there is a point closest to the Sun, and a point farthest away from the Sun. 

The gravitational influences of other planetary objects, including the Moon, cause the shape of Earth's orbit around the Sun to change. The path changes from being nearly circular to elliptical, every 100,000 years, according to timeanddate.com. 

The difference between an ellipse and a perfect circle is called eccentricity. Therefore, a perfect circular orbit has an eccentricity value of zero, while an elliptical orbit has an eccentricity value of 1. Therefore, the eccentricity of Earth's orbit changes every 100,000 years.

The dates when Earth reaches its aphelion and perihelion, the point in the planet's orbit nearest to the Sun, are not fixed due to variations in the eccentricity of Earth's orbit. About eight centuries back, in 1246, the day of December Solstice and the day Earth reached perihelion were the same. Every 58 years since 1246, the dates of perihelion and aphelion have drifted by a day. 

In some cases, there can be a difference of two days between the dates of perihelion or aphelion in two consecutive years. 

More than 4,000 years from now, in 6430, the perihelion will coincide with the March Equinox, the beginning of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere, according to astronomers. 

Apogee is another word for aphelion.

Aphelion will occur on July 5 in 2024, on July 4 in 2025, July 6 in 2026, and July 5 in 2027.

View More
Advertisement

IPL Auction 2025

Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Virat Kohli
₹21 CR
Josh Hazlewood
₹12.50 CR
Phil Salt
₹11.50 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Rishabh Pant
₹27 CR
Nicholas Pooran
₹21 CR
Ravi Bishnoi
₹11 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Jasprit Bumrah
₹18 CR
Suryakumar Yadav
₹16.35 CR
Hardik Pandya
₹16.35 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Heinrich Klaasen
₹23 CR
Pat Cummins
₹18 CR
Abhishek Sharma
₹14 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad
₹18 CR
Ravindra Jadeja
₹18 CR
Matheesha Pathirana
₹13 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Shreyas Iyer
₹26.75 CR
Arshdeep Singh
₹18 CR
Yuzvendra Chahal
₹18 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Sanju Samson
₹18 CR
Yashaswi Jaiswal
₹18 CR
Riyan Parag
₹14 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Venkatesh Iyer
₹23.75 CR
Rinku Singh
₹13 CR
Varun Chakaravarthy
₹12 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Rashid Khan
₹18 CR
Shubman Gill
₹16.50 CR
Jos Buttler
₹15.75 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Axar Patel
₹16.50 CR
KL Rahul
₹14 CR
Kuldeep Yadav
₹13.25 CR
View all
Advertisement
25°C
New Delhi
Rain: 100mm
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WNW 47km/h
See Today's Weather
powered by
Accu Weather
Advertisement

Top Headlines

As Race For Maharashtra CM Post Heats Up, Eknath Shinde Upset Over BJP's 'Claim' For Top Post: Sources
As Race For Maharashtra CM Post Heats Up, Eknath Shinde Upset Over BJP's 'Claim' For Top Post: Sources
Schools In Delhi-NCR To Go In Hybrid Mode After Supreme Court Directive On Air Pollution
Schools In Delhi-NCR To Go In Hybrid Mode After Supreme Court Directive On Air Pollution
PAN 2.0 Announced: Do You Need To Change PAN Number? Will It Be Free? All Your FAQs Answered
PAN 2.0 Announced: Do You Need To Change PAN Number? Will It Be Free? All Your FAQs Answered
Rashmi Shukla Reappointed As Maharashtra DGP After Mahayuti Win
Rashmi Shukla Reappointed As Maharashtra DGP After Mahayuti Win
Advertisement
ABP Premium

Videos

FIR Filed Against Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman, Statement Released Amidst ControversyFIR Filed Against Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman and Local MLA's Son in Controversial CaseSambhal Violence Sparks Political Firestorm, Congress MP Imran Masood's Strong Remarks | ABP NewsBreaking News: SP Leader Ram Gopal Yadav Reacts to Sambhal Violence | ABP News

Photo Gallery

Embed widget