Friday, July 5th morning, the Earth reached its farthest point from the sun, more than 152 million kilometers away: What is aphelion and how does it determine the seasons? [videos]

The Earth has reached its farthest point. From its orbit from the Sun, called Aphelio: in the early morning it was more than 152 million kilometers away, compared to an average distance of about 150 million kilometers.

“The fact that summer is exactly when the Earth is farthest from its star proves very well that the seasons do not depend on this distance, as many still believe,” confirms Gianluca Masi, astrophysicist and scientific director of the Virtual Telescope.

“It depends rather on the fact that the Earth’s axis is not perpendicular to the plane that accommodates its orbit. History repeats itself in the winter – says Massey – when at the beginning of January we are at the minimum distance.”

The date on which our planet is in 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 Moon. In fact, it is not only the Earth that revolves around the Sun, but the Earth-Moon system, whose center of gravity has shifted from the center of the planet.

When the Moon is full, and therefore on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun, our planet is about 4,700 kilometers closer. Conversely, when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth (in the new moon phase), the latter is slightly further away.

Therefore, our satellite, depending on its location, affects the distance between our planet and our star by several thousand kilometers, causing a delay or shift of Aphelia and Perihelion (points of minimum distance).

With information from Ansa.it

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