Distance from Earth to Moon

According to several researchers, the Moon is gradually moving away from the Earth at a distance of 3.8 cm. per year. In another billion years or so, it will be visibly smaller than the Sun, and Solar eclipses won't be seen by the humans!

The Moon revolves around the Earth, and is the fifth largest of all moons present in our solar system. Its diameter is 3,474 km, and is slightly greater than a quarter of the Earth's diameter. The total surface area of this body is less than 10% of Earth's surface area.

The gravity experienced on the surface of moon is 17% of the Earth's gravitational force. The volume of the moon is 2% as compared to that of the Earth. The gravitational interactions which take place between the Earth and the moon slows down the rotation of the former.

The transfer of kinetic energy, which takes place between both the bodies is the reason behind this slowdown. It also causes tides on the surface of Earth. The effect of this gravitational interaction on the moon is seen in the form of its orbit being raised.

The moon revolves around Earth in an elliptical orbit. Thus, the distance between both the bodies fluctuates or changes at certain points, and it also varies at the apogee and perigee.

The former is a position at which the moon is farthest from the Earth, while the latter is the closest distance. At the perigee, the total distance between the Earth and moon is 363,300 km, while at the apogee, the distance increases up to 405,500 km.

The average distance between both the bodies in kilometers is 384,400. This accounts for 30 times the Earth's diameter. It would take around 16 days to reach the moon from the Earth at a speed of 1000 km/hr. Passenger jets are capable of attaining this speed.

The distance between both the bodies, when they are at the nearest (perigee) point is 363,104,000 meters. At apogee, this distance increases up to 405,696,000 meters. The average distance is 384,400,000 meters.

The average distance from the Earth to the moon in miles is 238,857.

In some countries, where feet is the common unit of measurement, the following distance facts would prove to be helpful. The distance between the Earth and moon at apogee and perigee is 1,331,020,000 feet and 1,191,290,000 feet, respectively. The average distance is 1,261,000,000 feet.

The distance present between both the celestial bodies in terms of light years is calculated with the help of speed of light in vacuum. As stated earlier, the distance between the moon and Earth is 384,400 km, i.e., 3.844x10^8 m.

The speed of light in vacuum is 3x10^8 m/s. The distance from the Earth to the moon in Light years is therefore, calculated by the formula,

Time = Distance/Speed

In this case, 1.2 seconds is the distance from Earth to moon in light seconds, and 3.8^-8 is the distance in light years.

The distance between the Earth and moon in terms of various units is given above. One thing that should be kept in mind is that this distance varies due to the elliptical orbits. The average value, however, is 384,400 km.