Aphelion Heat: Why Summer Feels Hot Even as Earth Moves Away from the Sun
Despite record heat, Earth is actually farther from the Sun during aphelion in early July (~152 million km) than at perihelion in January. Seasons are driven by Earth’s 23.4° tilt, which increases the Sun’s angle and daily daylight in the Northern Hemisphere; the distance changes about 5 million km and slightly affects solar energy, but tilt dominates the seasonal cycle.