Nearest to the Sun

Q: In what month is the Earth nearest to the sun?

A: January

When Is the Earth Nearest to the Sun?

It may come as a surprise, especially to those in the Northern Hemisphere, but Earth is actually closest to the Sun not in summer, but in January.

This annual event is known as perihelion, which comes from the Greek words peri (near) and helios (sun). During perihelion, Earth is about 147 million kilometres (about 91 million miles) from the Sun — around 5 million kilometre’s closer than it is at its farthest point, known as aphelion, which occurs in July.

Why doesn’t being closer to the Sun make it warmer? That’s because the Earth’s seasons are caused by the tilt of its axis, not its distance from the Sun. In January, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and experiences summer, while the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away and is in winter — even though we’re closer to the Sun.