How Far Away Is the Sun?

How distant is the Sun from Earth?

From Earth, the Sun is approximately 150 million kilometers, or 93 million miles, away. Another name for this distance is one astronomical unit (AU).

Light travels from the Sun to Earth in approximately 8 minutes due to its great distance. This implies that the Sun appears to you as it did eight minutes ago when you gaze at it.

Throughout the year, the Sun's distance from Earth changes a little bit as well. The reason for this is that Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle around the Sun. Early January is when Earth approaches closest to the Sun, at a distance of roughly 91.4 million miles (147.1 million kilometers). In early July, Earth is at its furthest point from the Sun, at a distance of around 94.5 million miles (152.1 million kilometers).

An essential component of life on Earth is the Sun's distance from the planet. Living things on Earth could not exist without the warmth and light provided by the Sun.