The Sun Closest To Earth — During What Month Is

Leo had always assumed summer meant the sun was nearest. It made sense: hot, bright, scorching July afternoons, the sun beating down like a giant standing just overhead. So when his daughter Mia, age eight, asked him during a winter picnic, “Dad, when is the sun closest to Earth?” he answered with full confidence.

Mia stared at the screen. “So the sun is like a fireplace. You can be close to it but facing away, and still be cold.” during what month is the sun closest to earth

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. Leo had always assumed summer meant the sun was nearest

“Because of the tilt,” Leo said, finding a diagram. “In January, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. Sunlight hits at a low angle, spread out, weak. July is hot because we’re tilted toward it—even though we’re farther away. Distance doesn’t win. Angle does.” Mia stared at the screen

Leo smiled. “Exactly.”