During July the Earth is at its most distant position from the Sun when it reaches a point known as aphelion. This is during northern hemisphere summer. On July 3rd (0300 CDT) the Earth will be 152,096,520 km from the Sun. In comparison, this past January 3, during perihelion, (when the Earth was closest to the Sun), the distance between the Earth and the Sun was 147,095,907 km.

   Interestingly, with a difference of only about 5,000,613 km, the Earth's orbit is very nearly a circle, suggesting that distance from the Sun is not a reason for seasons on our planet.