The Sun is approximately 93 million miles (about 150 million kilometers) away from Earth on average. This distance is defined as one Astronomical Unit (AU), a standard unit of measurement used by astronomers to describe distances within our solar system
. Because Earth's orbit around the Sun is elliptical, the distance varies slightly throughout the year:
- Closest approach (perihelion) is about 91.4 million miles (147.1 million km)
- Farthest distance (aphelion) is about 94.5 million miles (152.1 million km)
Currently, the Sun is about 151.2 million kilometers (approximately 1.01 AU) from Earth, with light taking about 8 minutes and 24 seconds to travel this distance
. In summary:
- Average distance: ~93 million miles / 150 million km (1 AU)
- Closest: ~91.4 million miles / 147.1 million km
- Farthest: ~94.5 million miles / 152.1 million km
- Light travel time: ~8 minutes 24 seconds
