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Summer 2025 Will Be 15 Minutes Shorter Than Last Year — Here's Why
Summer 2025 will be 15 minutes shorter than summer 2024.
Summer this year in the Northern Hemisphere summer will be shorter — by exactly 15 minutes — than it was in 2024 because, according to of the ever-changing shape of Earth's orbit around the sun.
Earth currently orbits the sun along a slightly elliptical path, which makes summers in the Northern Hemisphere longer than those in the Southern Hemisphere — and they're getting longer each year. However, that pattern is interrupted this year. Here's everything you need to know about why.
Earth's Elliptical Orbit
At 15:54 EDT on Thursday, July 3, Earth will reach its farthest point from the sun for the entire year. Astronomers call this aphelion. On that date, Earth receives less radiation from the sun, which is at its smallest in the sky. Earth next reaches its perihelion — its closest point to the sun — at 12:15 p.m. EDT on Jan. 3, 2026. Earth will get maximum radiation from the sun, which will be at its largest in the sky on that day.
Crucially, none of this has anything to do with seasons on Earth, which is a result of the Earth's tilted axis. When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, it's summer, which is defined as between the solstice in June and the equinox in September.
Why Summer Lasts Longer North Of The Equator
Although it may not define the seasons, Earth's elliptical orbit around the sun does affect the duration of the seasons. At aphelion, Earth is farthest from the sun, so it takes a slightly longer path than when it's at perihelion when it moves slightly faster. Since aphelion occurs a couple of weeks after summer has begun in the Northern Hemisphere, aphelion makes summer last slightly longer than the Southern Hemisphere's summer (which occurs between the December solstice and the March equinox). As it stands, summer in the Northern Hemisphere is about four days longer than summer in the Southern Hemisphere, according to
However, the gravitational influence of the sun, the moon and even Jupiter causes minute fluctuations in the shape and speed of Earth's orbit from year to year. In 2025, this will result in a slightly shorter summer than in 2024 — 93 days, 15 hours, and 37 minutes, down from 93 days, 15 hours, and 52 minutes. In 2026, summer will be three minutes longer than in 2025.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
