Sky Briefing #010 — Aphelion, Venus at Magnitude -4 and a New Route to Cairo
July 6, 17:00 UTC: Earth at its farthest from the Sun — midsummer, 152 million kilometres. That is not a contradiction, it is physics. In the western sky, Venus stands at magnitude −4, visible two hours past sunset, brighter than any star. Chicago has had a nonstop link to Cairo since June 21. London has had a budget carrier from Southeast Asia back this week, after 14 years away.
Skies
Venus outshines every star in July’s evening sky — magnitude −4, no exceptions. On July 8 and 9, it passes Regulus, the brightest star in Leo; Regulus looks like a dim nightlight beside it. A crescent Moon joins the pair on July 16 and 17. Greatest eastern elongation follows on August 14. Evening westbound flights: shade up, look toward the fading glow, about 30 minutes after sunset. The Old Farmer’s Almanac — July 2026 Sky Watch
Earth at aphelion July 6: 152 million km from the Sun, midsummer. At 17:00 UTC, Earth is 152,087,774 km from the Sun, around 5 million km farther than in January. The Sun appears 3.4 percent smaller on this day than it did at New Year. The northern hemisphere is hot anyway: seasons come from axial tilt, not distance. A clean reminder that solar-system intuitions tend to be wrong. EarthSky — Earth farthest from sun, July 6
Aviation
EgyptAir flies Chicago–Cairo nonstop: the first direct link to North Africa. Since June 21, EgyptAir has operated Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Cairo (CAI) three times weekly, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, on an Airbus A350-900. Ethiopian has served Chicago to Addis Ababa since 2018 — that is a different continent. North Africa was missing from the list. EgyptAir flies the route alone. City of Chicago — EgyptAir Launches First-Ever Cairo Service At O’Hare
China Eastern now flies Shanghai–Zurich: Swiss faces competition on this route for the first time. Since June 18, China Eastern Airlines has flown Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Zurich (ZRH) three times weekly on an Airbus A350-900. Swiss International Air Lines held the route as the sole direct carrier until now. Whether three weekly frequencies shift the market is open. Monopolies rarely end quietly, and this was one. Aviation Week — 50 New Routes Launching In June 2026
AirAsia X is back in London after 14 years, this time via Bahrain. Since June 26, AirAsia X has flown Kuala Lumpur to London Gatwick (LGW) daily through a new Bahrain hub. The carrier left European markets in 2012. The return uses an Airbus A330, a plane that cannot reach London nonstop. Total flying time: around 16 hours including a two-hour stop in Bahrain. Cheap. Not nonstop. Gatwick Airport — AirAsia X lands at London Gatwick
because you need to know why the hottest month of the year is also when Earth is farthest from the Sun — and which point in the evening sky is not a plane.