The 8.2 ka cold event is a globally recognized abrupt climate change event in academia, regarded as the boundary between the early and middle Holocene. Current research has reached a relatively consistent understanding of its spatial distribution and manifestations, onset and duration, and internal structural characteristics, but there remains disagreement regarding its causes. While most studies attribute it to the influx of glacial meltwater into the North Atlantic, which weakened the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), some research suggests a connection to changes in astronomical solar radiation. This study, based on the newly released high-precision DE441 ephemeris data, reconstructs the astronomical solar radiation energy at the equator (0°) and 60°N during the summer and winter half-years from 7.5 to 9 ka BP, and calculates the latitudinal energy gradient between them to explore the temporal correspondence between the 8.2 ka cold event and astronomical solar radiation. The results indicate that, on a centennial scale, both the astronomical solar radiation energy at the equator (0°) and 60°N, as well as the latitudinal energy gradient, exhibited significant low values during the period of 7.9–8.45 ka BP. This aligns closely with the onset and termination of the 8.2 ka cold event as recorded in high-resolution Greenland ice core δ18O, Northern Hemisphere stalagmite δ18O, and pollen data. Thus, it is inferred that the weakening of astronomical solar radiation energy at both high and low latitudes, along with the decline in the latitudinal energy gradient, collectively led to synchronous cooling in the mid-to-high latitudes, serving as a key factor in triggering the 8.2 ka global cold event. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the causal mechanisms of Holocene cold events.