The Sun is on average about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) away from the Earth. This distance is also known as one astronomical unit (AU). Due to Earth's elliptical orbit, the distance varies during the year, with the closest point (perihelion) at about 91.4 million miles (147.1 million km) and the farthest point (aphelion) at about 94.5 million miles (152.1 million km). Light from the Sun takes approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth.
