Do you know someone who thinks that summer is warm because it is when the earth is the closest to the sun in its orbit? You might be surprised at how many people have this misconception. In fact, today is the sun’s aphelion, the day on which the earth is at its farthest point from the sun on its orbital path. The real cause of the summer warmth is the earth’s tilt with respect to the plane of the earth’s orbit, which Northern Hemisphere towards the sun during the summer. You can read more about aphelion at EarthSky here.