Here’s a short, informative piece on the topic:
So why is January cold? The answer is . Earth’s 23.5-degree tilt means that in January, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning away from the Sun, so sunlight hits at a lower, more glancing angle. That spreads the same amount of solar energy over a larger area, creating winter. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemisphere, tilted toward the Sun, enjoys summer—even though the entire planet is actually closer to our star.
A cosmic reminder that sometimes the closest thing isn’t what warms you most.
This point in our orbit is called (from the Greek peri meaning “near” and helios meaning “sun”). In 2024, for example, perihelion occurred on January 3rd. On that day, Earth is about 91.4 million miles (147.1 million km) from the Sun—roughly 3 million miles closer than at its farthest point, or aphelion , which happens in early July.
In short: , but seasons depend on tilt, not distance.
If you guessed June, July, or August—when the Northern Hemisphere basks in heat and long days—you’d be wrong. Surprisingly, Earth makes its closest approach to the Sun in .
