Why is earth farthest away from the sun in winter?

Answer 1

This is only true in the northern hemisphere and it is because of the axial tilt of the earth (about 23 degrees). The suns rays are nearer to perpendicular and therefore have less atmosphere to traverse. Six months later the rays are more nearly perpendicular in the Southern Hemisphere hence it is summer in the southern hemisphere when it is winter in the norther one.

Answer 2

Seasons are a consequence of the earth's tilt, not distance from the sun. In the northern hemisphere, the earth is tilted toward the sun in June-July-August, so solar radiation is received at a more direct angle.

Answer 3

No, it's because the earth VERY slowly rocks back and forth, so in winter, either the north or south is further away from the Sun. The earth's distance doesn't change, but because of the rocking, the northern hemisphere will be further away from the sun, for example.

Answer 4

Because the distance we are from the Earth has relatively nothing to do with the temperature of the seasons. It is hotter in the summer because the sun's rays are angled more direct. This increases the amount of sunlight per unit area. Also we have longer days in the summer. This means the Earth gets heated for a longer amount of time.

Answer 5

If you're referring to planets which are further from the sun compared to the earth, then it's because of the latter. It's the sun that provides earth with energy, one form of it's energy is thermal energy, and the further away objects, or planets are from the earth, then less energy will reach resulting in lower temperature.

Answer 6

Ah, you must be from Australia, because the Earth is farthest away from the Sun about on July 2nd each year, which is right after the beginning of the southern hemisphere winter.

All orbits are ellipses. Earth's orbit is almost but not quite a circle; the eccentricity, or 'difference between this ellipse and a circle" is only about 3%. Earth is closest to the Sun at perihelion, around January 4 each year, and farthest away at "aphelion" around July 2.