The Earth has reached the farthest point from the Sun in its orbit, the so-called aphelion: at exactly 07:00 Italian time it was over 152 million kilometres away, compared to an average of around 150 million kilometres.
Seasons and distance from the Sun
«The fact that it is summer just when the Earth is at its farthest point from its star demonstrates dramatically that the seasons do not depend on this distance, as incredibly many still believe”, he underlines Gianluca Masiastrophysicist and scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project. “It depends, rather, on the fact that theEarth’s axis it is not perpendicular to the plane that hosts its orbit. History repeats itself in winter – says Masi – when in early January we find ourselves at the minimum distance”.
Variability of the aphelion date
The date on which our planet is at aphelion is very variable: last year, for example, it fell on July 6, while in 2022 it fell on July 4. This is mainly due to the presence of the moonIn fact, it is not the Earth alone that orbits around the Sun, but the system Earth-Moonwhich has a center of gravity displaced from the center of the planet.
Influence of the Moon
When the Moon is full, and therefore is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun, our planet approaches by about 4,700 kilometers. Conversely, when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth (in the new Moon phase), the latter is a little further away. Our satellite therefore, depending on its position, influences the distance between our planet and our star by a few thousand kilometers, which causes it to delay or advance. apheli And perihelia (the points of minimum distance).