Farthest from Sun: Why's it so hot?

Temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere might be sweltering, but on July 6, Earth will be at its farthest point from the sun. It's an annual occasion called aphelion, from the Greek words "apo" (away) and "helios" (sun), according to Almanac. 

If it sounds counterintuitive for Earth to be the farthest from the sun and hot in summer, consider how the Earth orbits and rotates.

The average Earth-sun distance [astronomical unit (AU)] is about 93M miles. 

However, Earth's slightly elliptical orbit around the sun means that each year, there is one day when Earth is closest (perihelion) and one day when it's farthest from the sun (aphelion). 

This year, perihelion occurred Jan. 4, when Earth was 0.98 AU from the sun. On July 6, at aphelion, Earth will be 1.01 AU from the sun, according to astronomer Fred Espenak. 

Perihelion and aphelion were first noticed by 17th century astronomer Johannes Kepler, who calculated that planets have elliptical orbits around the sun. 

A planet moves fastest when it is at perihelion and slowest at aphelion, according to NASA. That makes summer in the Northern Hemisphere a few days longer than summer in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Although the difference between perihelion and aphelion can be millions of miles, it has very little impact on the temperatures on Earth. 

What causes the seasons is the 23.5-degree tilt of Earth's axis, which means the sun shines on different latitudes at different angles throughout the year.

In July, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is tilted away from the sun, and days are shorter and colder. 

Although aphelion comes just a few weeks after the June solstice and perihelion arrives close to the December solstice, the events are not connected. 

The exact timing is caused by variations in the eccentricity of Earth's orbit, according to timeanddate.com, with the dates of perihelion and aphelion drifting by a day every 58 years since the 13th century. (Live Science 07/04/23) Earth is about to reach its farthest point from the sun. So why is it so hot? (msn.com)