How many miles is the sun from Earth?

On average, the sun is 92,960,000 miles from Earth. The Earth has an elliptical orbit, so this distance varies. At the closest point of its orbit, called perihelion, Earth is 91,000,000 miles from the sun. At aphelion, the furthest Earth gets from the sun, they are 91,402,500 miles apart.

Astronomers use the distance between the Earth and the Sun to measure distances between other astronomical objects. This distance is referred to as an astronomical unit, or an AU. If a person was to drive this distance in a car going 60 miles per hour, it would take almost 180 years.