What is the distance from the earth to the moon?
The average distance between the Earth and the moon is about 240,000 miles. However, the moon does not move in a perfectly circular orbit around the earth. It can get as far away as about 260,000 miles, and gets as close as around 210,000 miles (once in a blue moon). This is why when we experience a total eclipse of the sun, sometimes the moon does not completely obscure the disk of the sun – it’s too far away from the earth. (None of these were my words. I looked it up.
The average distance (centre to centre) is given as 384,400 km (a little bit over 240,000 mi). The Moon’s orbit is an ellipse with a perigee (closest point to Earth) and an apogee (furthest away). Because of the effect of the Sun on the orbit itself, these distances do change from month to month. For example, in February 2009, perigee was on Feb. 7 with a distance (centre to centre) of 361,488 km = 224,618 mi. Apogee on Feb. 19, next Thursday, at 405,129 km = 251,735 mi. In March 2009: Perigee, March 7, at 367,017 km Apogee, March 19, at 404,299 km. If you want to know how close you can get to the surface of the Moon, you could find the spot, on Earth’s surface, where the Moon will be directly overhead at the moment of perigee. March 7 at 15 UT (10 a.m., New York time, since we will not be in Daylight Saving yet).
