Does the Earth get closer to the sun?

The Earth and the Sun: A Cosmic Dance of Closeness

We all picture the Earth serenely circling the Sun, right? Like a perfectly drawn circle in a textbook. But here’s the thing: it’s not quite that simple. Our planet’s relationship with the Sun is more like a cosmic dance, a constant give-and-take of distance. So, does the Earth actually get closer to the Sun? Yep, it does! But the real story is a bit more interesting than just a simple “yes” or “no.”

Think of Earth’s orbit as an oval, not a circle – what scientists call an ellipse. This means that throughout the year, our distance from the Sun actually changes. There are times when we’re closer, and times when we’re farther away. At its closest, a point called perihelion, we’re snuggled up to the Sun at about 91.4 million miles. That’s still a heck of a long way, but it’s as close as we get! Then, at the opposite end of our orbit, at aphelion, we’re stretching out to about 94.5 million miles from the Sun. That’s a difference of over 3 million miles – a pretty significant distance in cosmic terms!

Just this year, in 2025, we hit perihelion on January 4th. Mark your calendars for July 3rd, because that’s when we’ll reach aphelion. Now, these dates aren’t set in stone. They wiggle around a bit each year because the gravity of all the other planets in our solar system tugs on us. It’s like trying to run a race on a track that’s constantly being nudged!

Okay, so we’re closer to the Sun in January and farther away in July. Does that mean we should be roasting in January and freezing in July? Nope! This is where things get interesting. The seasons aren’t caused by our distance from the Sun, but by the Earth’s tilt. Our planet is tilted on its axis by about 23.4 degrees. This tilt means that at different times of the year, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres get different amounts of direct sunlight. When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, we get summer, while the folks down south are bundled up for winter. And vice versa!

Here’s a fun fact: when Earth is at perihelion, the Sun actually looks a tiny bit bigger in the sky! It’s a subtle difference, but if you were really paying attention (and had the right equipment), you could spot it.

Now, for the long-term view. While we’re doing this yearly dance of closeness and farness, there’s also a slow, steady drift happening. The Sun is constantly burning its fuel, and as it does, it loses a tiny bit of mass. This means its gravitational grip on Earth weakens ever so slightly, and we’re slowly drifting away at a rate of about 2.36 inches per year. It’s not much, but over millions of years, it could add up!

Looking way, way into the future, scientists predict that the dates of perihelion and aphelion will continue to shift. In fact, they estimate that in over 4,000 years, perihelion will happen around the time of the March equinox. So, the cosmic dance goes on, always changing, always fascinating.