What is Aphelion?
{{About|the astronomy term|other uses}} {{mergeto|Apsis}} [[File:Aphelion (PSF).svg|thumb|275px|1. Planet at aphelion 2. Planet at perihelion 3. Sun]] The ''' aphelion''' is the point in the [[orbit]] of an object where it is farthest from the [[Sun]]. The point in the orbit where an object is nearest to the sun is called the [[perihelion]]. The word ''aphelion'' derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]] words, ''apo'' meaning ''away, off, apart'' and ''[[Helios]]''. It's an apoapsis of a body in the [[Solar System]]. The [[Earth's orbit]] has its aphelion around 25th June or July the third, at which it is approximately 152.1 million kilometers or 94.5 million miles from the Sun. Due to the workings of the [[Gregorian calendar]], it may be a day or two earlier or later. This path's shape varies due to the gravitational influences of other planetary objects, particularly the Moon. Approximately every 100,000 years, the Earth's orbital path changes from being nearly circular to elliptical. The difference of the Earth’s orbital shape from a perfect circle is known as its '''eccentricity'''. An eccentricity value of 0 is a circular orbit, while values between 0 and 1 describe an elliptical orbit. {{-}} [[Category:Orbits]] {{sci-stub}}