How does the sun's distance from Earth vary throughout the year?

The sun is the closest star to Earth, and its distance from us varies over the course of a year due to Earth's elliptical orbit around the sun. Earth's distance from the sun is constantly changing, with the closest point being called perihelion and the farthest point called aphelion.

Perihelion occurs around January 3rd, when Earth is about 91.4 million miles away from the sun. On the other hand, aphelion occurs around July 4th, when Earth is about 94.5 million miles away from the sun. The difference between these two distances is about 3.1 million miles.

The variation in distance doesn't affect the seasons, but rather it is the tilt of Earth's axis that causes the change in seasons. However, the distance does have an impact on the intensity of the sun's energy that reaches Earth. When Earth is closer to the sun, it receives slightly more solar energy, which can contribute to hotter summers in the northern hemisphere.