Question

Describe the position of the earth in relation to the sun in the winter and summer for the Northern Hemisphere.

Answer 1

The earth's position, in terms of distance, is closest (perihelion) to the sun during the winter and furthest away (aphelion) in the summer.

Why is it so cold in the Winter if we are closest to the sun?

Well, it's because the earth rotates on an axis with a tilt of ~23.4 degrees. When the earth is closest to the sun, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the it, which results in less exposure time and more deflection of the suns energy. During the summer the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, which results in longer and more concentrated exposure.