How Far Is The Moon From Earth
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The Moon is the closest celestial body to Earth, located only 384,400 kilometers (238,855 miles) away from our planet.
The Moon is the fifth-largest natural satellite in our Solar System and orbits around Earth at an average distance of 384,400 kilometers (238,855 miles). To give some perspective, that’s roughly the same distance as traveling from New York to San Francisco and back nine times (the actual distance between those two cities is 4,447 kilometers, or 2,767 miles).
The Moon’s distance from Earth varies between about 363,000 kilometers (225,629 miles) and 406,700 kilometers (252,621 miles) due to its elliptical orbit. The Moon’s orbit isn’t perfectly circular, but is rather slightly elongated (or egg-shaped) due to the gravitational pull of the Sun and other planets.
At its closest approach, the Moon is said to be "at perigee" (about 363,000 kilometers, or 225,629 miles, away). At its furthest point, it is "at apogee" (roughly 406,700 kilometers, or 252,621 miles, away).
It takes the Moon 27 days and eight hours to travel around Earth entirely – this is known as one lunar month. These 27 days are divided into four phases – the new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter.
The Moon is a fascinating and wondrous celestial body, but it’s essentially our closest neighbor in the entire universe at only 384,400 kilometers (238,855 miles) away.