Every schoolchild learns that Earth orbits the sun. But a surprisingly common misconception is that our planet’s changing seasons—sweltering summers and freezing winters—are caused by Earth moving closer to or farther from the sun.
In 2024, for example, Earth reached perihelion on January 2nd. At that moment, we were about from the sun. Compare that to aphelion in July, when we drift out to about 94.5 million miles (152.1 million km) away. when is earth closest to the sun