What is the Distance between Earth and Moon?

3,627 Views Updated: 04 Sep 2017
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What is the Distance between Earth and Moon?

Space has always been a perplexing subject for mankind and since eons, they have always tried to gauge the secrets that this vast space holds. When we look up into the sky and see celestial bodies we wonder on our own existence.

From the Earth surface, apart from the sun and the stars at night, another celestial body is very evident. This is none other than planet Earth's natural satellite moon and looking at it every night we have often thought to ourselves ‘what is the distance from earth to the moon,' how far is the moon and yet why is it so clear.

What Is The Distance Between Earth And Moon?

The moon is our planet's only natural satellite, and its importance is so immense that life on earth would not have been possible without it. This has a lot to do with where the moon is actually situated in the solar system and its proximity to the Earth's surface. The gravitational pull of the moon is what stabilizes the wobble of our planet on its axis. This is what leads to a stable climate on the surface of Earth.

(Image Courtesy: Syfy)

Now, you must know that every planetary body that revolves around the sun or any other celestial body does so in orbit. The orbit of the moon around Earth is elliptical. The distance between the Earth and the moon is immense. At perigee, the nearest the satellite comes to the planet is 225,623 miles and the farthest that it goes is 252,088 miles. Now, if you are staring at this staggering number unable to comprehend it, NASA makes it simpler for you to understand it. According to NASA, "That means 30 Earth-sized planets could fit in between Earth and the moon."

(Image Courtesy: The TeCake)

So how did our moon come into formation? According to scientists, the moon was formed when a massive Mars-sized object clashed with the young planet. All thanks to gravity, the debris that was formed from this crash came together to form the moon and the rest, as they say, is history. Earth was closer to its new companion back then, almost 10-20 times closer but later they drifted away.

Distance Between Earth And The Moon In Km's 

The moon might be very clear in the night sky but the truth is that Earth’s natural satellite is 363,104 kilometers away from it. This is the distance calculated when the moon approaches the planet closest in its elliptical orbit. The farthest that the planet goes is 405,696 km

(Image Courtesy: Business Insider)

Now that you know how far is the moon from the Earth, here is some interesting information about Jupiter's moon.

(Featured Image Courtesy: YouTube)

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Posted by: Harish Posts: (5) Opinions: (13) Points: 575 Rank: 218
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Opinion
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I think it is crucial to think not just in terms of whether conditions on the moon can support water and basic life forms. Earth's gravity is one of the most important life-sustaining factors. Therefore, it is important to consider why gravity is different on Earth and moon.

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