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How many miles away is the Sun right now?
92,564,803 miles That is how far the Sun is from Earth at this moment, and Earth is getting closer at 1,102 mph. In round figures that is 92.56 million miles, or 148,968,611 km.
The Sun from Earth, right now
Earth's centre to the Sun's centre, updated ten times a second from the VSOP87 theory of the planets. Checked against NASA JPL's Horizons system, it agrees within 25 miles.
Closest and farthest, this year and next
| Year | Closest (perihelion) | Farthest (aphelion) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 January 2026, 17:20 UTC 91,403,623 miles |
6 July 2026, 17:32 UTC 94,502,936 miles |
| 2027 | 3 January 2027, 02:28 UTC 91,406,550 miles |
5 July 2027, 05:07 UTC 94,510,836 miles |
Times in UTC, within 10 minutes of JPL Horizons. Between them the distance changes by 3,104,286 miles.
The distance through the year
How long would it take to get there?
- 8 min 16.9 sfor light, at 186,282 miles a second
- about 9 daysat 430,000 mph, the speed NASA's Parker Solar Probe reaches at its closest to the Sun
- about 21 yearsat 500 mph without stopping
- about 176 yearsat 60 mph without stopping
- about 3,500 yearswalking at 3 mph
Worked out from today's distance in a straight line. Real spacecraft never fly straight at the Sun. Parker Solar Probe, launched on 12 August 2018, loops round it in 24 orbits over seven years, coming within about 3.9 million miles.
Why the distance keeps changing
Earth's orbit is an ellipse with an eccentricity of 0.0167, very nearly a circle. Over a year that still moves us about 3.1 million miles closer to the Sun and back. Earth passes perihelion, its closest point, in early January and aphelion, its farthest, in early July.
The seasons come from the 23.4° tilt of Earth's axis, which is why the closest approach falls in the Northern Hemisphere's winter. The distance still makes a difference: sunlight at perihelion is about 7% stronger than at aphelion, because its strength falls with the square of the distance.
Where does 93 million miles come from?
The astronomical unit, the yardstick astronomers use for distances in the solar system, is fixed at exactly 149,597,870.7 km. In miles that is 92,955,807, close to Earth's average distance from the Sun, which is why the Sun is usually said to be 93 million miles away. Right now Earth is 0.9958 AU from the Sun.
How this number is worked out
Your browser works it out ten times a second from VSOP87, the theory of the planets' motion by Pierre Bretagnon and Gérard Francou, trimmed to the terms that matter between 1800 and 2200. It is the same theory that places the planets in the online planetarium. The distance runs from the centre of the Earth to the centre of the Sun. Checked against NASA JPL's Horizons system on 14 dates across 2026 and 2027, it agreed within 25 miles every time, and its perihelion and aphelion fell within 10 minutes of Horizons'. A mile here is the international mile, exactly 1.609344 km.
Questions
How many miles away is the Sun right now?
On 20 October 2026 the Sun was 92,564,803 miles from Earth (149.0 million km), and Earth was getting closer at 1,102 mph. The figure at the top of this page is worked out live in your browser, so it is current whenever you read it.
Is the Sun closer to Earth in winter?
Earth is closest to the Sun in early January, which is winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The next closest approach, perihelion, is on 3 January 2027, 02:28 UTC, at 91,406,550 miles. The seasons come from the 23.4° tilt of Earth's axis, which matters far more than the 3% change in distance.
What is the closest and farthest the Sun gets from Earth?
About 91.4 million miles at perihelion in early January and about 94.5 million miles at aphelion in early July. In 2027 Earth comes to 91,406,550 miles on 3 January 2027, 02:28 UTC and reaches 94,510,836 miles on 5 July 2027, 05:07 UTC.
How long does sunlight take to reach Earth?
Right now 8 min 17 s. It takes about 8 min 11 s at perihelion in January and 8 min 27 s at aphelion in July, and 8 min 19 s across one astronomical unit.
Why do people say the Sun is 93 million miles away?
The astronomical unit, the yardstick for distances in the solar system, is fixed at exactly 149,597,870.7 km, which is 92,955,807 miles. It is close to Earth's average distance from the Sun, so 93 million miles is the usual round figure.
How far is the Sun in kilometres?
149.0 million km on 20 October 2026. The live distance in kilometres, with a map of where Earth is in its orbit today, is on the page How far is the Sun from Earth right now.
Other distances right now
Sources
- NASA JPL Horizons, the reference the distances and dates were checked against
- Bretagnon, P. and Francou, G. (1988), Planetary theories in rectangular and spherical variables: VSOP87 solutions, Astronomy and Astrophysics 202, 309, CDS VizieR VI/81
- BIPM, The International System of Units, 9th edition, Table 8: 1 au = 149,597,870,700 m, defined by IAU Resolution B2 (2012)
- NASA Earth Fact Sheet: orbit eccentricity 0.0167, obliquity 23.44°
- NASA, Parker Solar Probe: launched 12 August 2018, 24 orbits over seven years, within about 3.9 million miles of the Sun, about 430,000 mph at closest approach
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.9: 1 international mile = 1.609344 km