Aphelion (& perihelion)

Aphelion is the point in a body's orbit around the Sun where it is farthest from the Sun; perihelion is the closest point.

Earth reaches aphelion in early July at about 152 million km and perihelion in early January at about 147 million km.

The small difference has little effect on the seasons, which are driven instead by the tilt of Earth's axis.

See it live on Cosmik

Apogee — Apogee is the point in an orbit around Earth where the satellite is farthest from the planet.
Perigee — Perigee is the point in an orbit around Earth where the satellite is closest to the planet.

Free · 10 seconds

Get a ping before it happens

“ISS over you in 10 minutes.” “Starship launches in 1 hour.” Browser or email — your pick, always free.

Push & email · no account needed

✦ Premium

Cosmik Pro

Unlimited alerts, 1h-early priority warnings, astrophoto planner, multiple locations — and no ads, ever.

🔒 Secure checkout by Stripe · 14-day money-back · cancel anytime

Celestron SkyMaster 15×70

The big-aperture classic: ISS passes, Moon craters, star clusters.

Celestron NexStar 130SLT

Finds 4,000 objects for you. The best-selling first serious scope.

Gskyer 70mm AZ

Light, simple, kid-proof — Moon & planets from a balcony.

ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses

Certified solar viewers — the only safe way to watch the eclipse.

As an Amazon Associate, Cosmik earns from qualifying purchases. Prices indicative. Glasses photo CC BY-SA (Wikimedia Commons).