What is Aphelion?

The Earth hit aphelion in July of this year. This is the point in its orbit where it is farthest from the Sun. This event happens once a year and marks an important but little-known part of how our planet’s rotation works. Because their paths are elliptical, all of the planets in our solar system reach aphelion. Kirby Runyon, a geologist at the Planetary Science Institute, explained this. When aphelion happens, the Earth is about 152.1 million km from the Sun.