Earth is closest to the Sun in early January each year, at a point in its orbit called perihelion.

Quick Scoop: When is the Earth closest to the Sun?

  • The moment of closest approach is called perihelion.
  • Perihelion happens once a year, in the first days of January (typically around January 3–4).
  • In 2026, perihelion occurred on January 3 around 17:00 UTC.
  • At perihelion, Earth is about 147 million km (about 91.4 million miles) from the Sun.
  • That’s only about 3% closer than at its farthest point in early July, called aphelion.

Why isn’t it hottest then?

  • Seasons are caused mainly by Earth’s axial tilt , not by how close we are to the Sun.
  • So perihelion happens during Northern Hemisphere winter and Southern Hemisphere summer.

You can think of it like running on a slightly oval track: once per lap you cut just a little closer to the inside, but the overall path still looks almost like a circle.