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The aphelion (farthest distance) from the Earth to the Sun is 152,098,232 km, and this occurs around July 3 each year. This is during summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

The perihelion (closest distance) is 147,098,290 km, and this comes around January 4. This is during winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The variation in distance is only about 3%, and other factors mitigate the increased solar energy received.

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Does the seasonal cycle occurs because Earth is closer to the sun in the summer than in the winter?

The Earth rotates on it's axis. In the summer, the Earth is tilted towards the sun. In the winter, the Earth is titled away from the sun. On the Earth, the northern regions (above the equator) have winter, while the southern regions (below the equator) have summer. Then, the opposite becomes true. The southern regions have winter, while the norther regions have summer. The distance nearer and farther from the sun makes no difference as far as the Earth's summer and winter is concerned.


Why regions close to the north pole are almost continuously dark in the winter and almost continuously light in the summer?

This has to do with the tilt of the Earth's axis and where the Earth is at a particular date. Let me explain. The Earth has a constant tilt of 23.5° as it revolves the sun and as it rotates. All year around, the Earth rotates and as it does the arctic and equator have very different paths. Because the arctic is close to the poles it has the same amount of light in the sky all day. The equator, on the other hand, has day when confronted to the sun and night when spun around without the sun. During the summer, the northern hemisphere and north pole are tilted toward the sun. As I explained before, the arctic does not move much, so the arctic has constant daylight. During the winter, the northern hemisphere and north pole are tilted away from the sun, and you get constant darkness. The exact opposite occurs in the southern hemisphere and south pole. This can be simulated with everyday objects. Use a round fruit or object as the Earth. Mark the north and south pole, or stick a toothpick or rod through the Earth. Use another object as the sun. In this case we will keep the Earth still and move the sun around the Earth as it is seen on Earth's surface. Tilt the Earth slightly about 23 degrees. Now, slowly revolve the sun around the Earth. When the north pole is closest to the sun stop and, now, rotate the Earth about its axis. Imagine light coming from the sun. The north pole is always lit. If you move the Sun to the other side and rotate the Earth about its axis the north pole is always dark.


What determines the Seasons on Earth?

Their proximity to the sun. When the sun is far of and low in the north or south sky it is winter when it is at its closest it is sumer Spring hapens as the sun gets closer and autumn happens as the sun gets further away.


How far is the Earth from the Sun in June?

Earth's distance from the Sun in June is approximately between 94,040,000 miles (151,340,000 km) and 94,500,000 miles (152,080,000 km) from the sun, getting farther away as the month progresses. By June 31st, Earth is almost as far from the Sun as it ever gets; the farthest position is called aphelion and occurs in early July.


Property of earth that causes seasons?

Some people think that the seasons are caused by Earth being close to the Sun in summer and far away from the Sun in winter.Actually, the seasons are caused by the TILT of Earth's AXIS, which is an imaginary line, that extends vertically from the North Pole, through this planet, and comes out to the South pole. It is tilted at 23.5° from it's perpendicular to it's orbital plane. When the Earth is on a particular side of the Sun, one hemisphere receives more direct Solar radiation then the other, that is while we have winter, and celebrate Christmas in the cold, Australians are surfing and celebrate St. Nick's day in the heat. Six months later when the Earth's position is on the opposite side of the sun, then the Northern Hemisphere receives more direct the solar radiation making for longer days and shorter nights and this is also the reason the Sun looms higher in the sky.The Earth's axis is tilted from perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic by 23.45°. This tilting is what gives us the four seasons of the year - spring, summer, autumn (fall) and winter. Since the axis is tilted, different parts of the globe are oriented towards the Sun at different times of the year.Summer is warmer than winter (in each hemisphere) because the Sun's rays hit the Earth at a more direct angle during summer than during winter and also because the days are much longer than the nights during the summer. During the winter, the Sun's rays hit the Earth at an extreme angle, and the days are very short. These effects are due to the tilt of the Earth's axis.The changing distance of Earth from the Sun has little effect on what we refer to as seasons. It is instead the tilt of the planet's axis compared to the flat plane of its orbit.The Earth spins about its axis at a fixed angle to the plane of its orbit. Depending on the planet's orbital position, either northern or southern latitudes can receive both longer hours of daylight and more direct radiation (i.e. at an angle to the atmosphere closer to perpendicular).Twice during the year (spring and fall), the Sun appears to circle more directly over the equator, and all areas receive similar amounts of sunlight. From late December to late March, the Southern Hemisphere experiences summer while the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter. From late June to late September, the position is the other extreme, and it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, winter in the southern.(see related question)Because the Earth tilts on its axis, in the winter (late December through early March) the northern hemisphere tilts away from the sun and receives less sunlight, and is therefore colder than it is at other times of the year, while the southern hemisphere tilts toward the sun and receives more sunlight and is warmer that it is at other times of the year; in the summer, it is the northern hemisphere that tilts toward the sun and the southern hemisphere that tilts away from the sun. That is why there are seasons. With no axial tilt, the Earth would have exactly the same climate all the time. Polar regions would still be colder than equatorial regions, but whatever the climate was, there would be no seasonal changes.When looking at the Earth and Sun from space, suppose you see the Earth on the left side of the Sun, and that it's also tilted so that the top of the planet is further away from the Sun than the bottom, so the axis looks like this (Earth is on the left):(\) (Sun)It is not the distance that is important, the difference in distance is insignificant overall. It is the ANGLE at which the sunlight strikes the portion of the earth. This is also why the Sun appears lower in the sky, and why the day is shorterNow, it's important that the tilt doesn't change. Half a year later, Earth will travel halfway around the sun so that it now appears to the right from your viewing position. Because the tilt is still to the left,(Sun) (\)Now the days are longer because the northern hemisphere so it receives radiation more nearly perpendicular and it's warmer. The southern hemisphere now has winter because the radiation is less perpendicular.You can see a similar effect when you shine a torch (flashlight) at a wall. If you hold it horizontal so the light strikes at right angles all areas receive the same amount of light. Now tilt the torch and you will see the shape of the beam striking the wall change. This is exactly what happens due to the tilt of the earth.At any given time, the hemisphere adjacent to the pole tilted toward the sun is the one that experiences spring and summer, whereas the one adjacent to the pole tilted away from the sun is the hemisphere experiencing autumn and winter.Because without them we wouldn't have spring, winter, and fall. It would be summer all the time day in and day out.The earth has a big, imaginary bar through the north pole to its center to the south pole, called an axis. This axis, during different seasons, tilts either toward or away from the sun. When the northern half of the axis is tilting towards the sun, the northern portion of the earth is closer to the sun, and is therefore hotter, and since the south is farther, it is cooler. So, when it is hottest in the north, it is coldest in the south. It works in the other direction, too. When the north is away from the sun, it is cold in the north and warm in the south (winter in the north, summer in the south). It is for this same reason that the temperatures of the equator are fairly constant and nonseasonal. Because they are the center of the earth, their distance from the sun is almost always the same.

Related Questions

What are the differences between a winter and summer solstice?

For the northern hemisphere: During the summer solstice, the Sun is as far north as she can get. During the winter solstice, the Sun is as far south as she can get. For the souther hemisphere it is the other way round.


Why is hotter in summer than in winter in some countries?

More of the Sun's rays directly hit a particular region on Earth during the summer than during the winter.


How do you get the different seasons?

Because the earth's revolution , when it goes near sun its summer and when it is far away from the sun it is winter


How far does the earth tilt when going from summer to winter?

The earth is tilted 23.4°, so from summer to winter, when the tilt is away from the sun, the difference is 46.8°.


How far is the Earth from the Sun during the summer in miles?

It is Summer in the Northern hemisphere in July-September and in the Southern hemisphere in January-March. In the first period, the earth is at its aphelion - around 94.5 million miles, whereas during the second period it is at its perihelion - approx 91.4 million miles. Take your pick as to what summer is!


Why is it winter in the northern hemisphere when the earth is closest to the sun?

The distance to the sun varies by only a small amount throughout the year and does very little to influence temperature on Earth. Far more important is the tilt of the earth, which causes the sun's radiation to be much stronger during the summer and weaker in the winter.


When the earth is closest to the sun why is the northern hemisphere is in the winter?

The distance to the sun varies by only a small amount throughout the year and does very little to influence temperature on Earth. Far more important is the tilt of the earth, which causes the sun's radiation to be much stronger during the summer and weaker in the winter.


Is the earth closer to the sun in summer than in winter?

Well that depends on where you live and if you call July "summer" . Earth is at the far end (aphelion) of its eliptical orbit in the northern hemisphere's summer (~July 4), and at its closest (perihelion) during winter ~(January 4).It is not Earth, but your location on Earth that gets more direct rays of the sun in summer than in winter. This has to do with your latitude location on earth (e.g., 45° north) and the axial tilt of the earth. (Without axial tilt, there would hardy be summer or winter anywhere on earth: 45° north would be as warm all year long.)(The exact same thing applies to all Australians, but the exact reverse: in a Norwegian's summer, the Australian experiences 'winter'.)What if the questioner lives south of the Equator?If the questioner lives in the southern hemisphere, perihelion (earth's closest approach to the sun) happens during their summer -their warm season - (along with slightly longer solar days) and aphelion (Earth's farthest approach to the sun) happens during their winter - cold season - (along with slightly shorter solar days).


What is the suns position in the sky's during summer?

The sun's position will be on the far side of the equator for autumn and winter months. The sun will be on the close side of the equator for spring and summer


When the earth orbit where the north pole is pointed as far away from the sun as possible what season is it in the the southern hemisphere?

summer


Are there any people on the earth who see the sun in the north?

At certain latitudes in the Arctic Circle, during the summer solstice, the sun remains visible on the northern horizon for 24 hours a day due to the tilt of the Earth's axis. This phenomenon is known as the Midnight Sun.


Why does earth get very cold or very hot?

It has to do with the rotation of the earth and how far away it is from the sun during the different seasons.