Today is the aphelion, when the Earth is farthest from the Sun

As we head further into summer, it's getting hotter, but Earth is actually getting farther away from the Sun.

The Earth saw its hottest days ever Monday and Tuesday, so it may come as a surprise to you that today at 4:06 p.m. ET, the Earth will reach the point in its orbit where it is the farthest away from the Sun in space.

Today at 4:06 p.m. ET the Earth will be at its aphelion. At this point, the Sun will be 94,506,364 miles (152,093,250 km) from our Earth (measured from center to center). This is about 1.5 percent farther away from the Sun than average. So why is it so hot here in the Northern Hemisphere? That's because our seasons are a result of the Earth's tilt, not the distance to the Sun.

During the summer season, the Northern Hemisphere of Earth is tilted toward the Sun. The opposite happens for the Southern Hemisphere this time of year, giving them their cooler season.

Earth’s orbit around the Sun is not a perfect circle. The orbit is an elliptical shape which allows Earth to be at different distances from the Sun during certain points throughout the year. Although we’re technically getting father away from the Sun this time of year, the temperatures vary due to the 23.5-degree tilt of Earth’s axis, not our distance from the Sun.

In fact, we wouldn’t experience our four seasons without Earth’s tilt! Earth’s tilt determines where the Sun’s warm rays are directed, or not directed, on Earth, helping temperatures to rise or fall.