Distance to the moon – How far is it
The distance to the moon varies quite a bit, and the average distance is 384,403 km or 238,857 miles.
The closest range is 363,104 km or 225,622 miles and the largest range is 406,696 km or 252,088 miles.
With a difference of 43,592 km, you would be wise to time your travel to the moon as it varies.
| Unit | Mean value | Uncertainty | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| meter | 3.84402×108 | 1.1 mm | [2] |
| kilometer | 384402 | 1.1 mm | [2] |
| mile | 238,856 | 0.043 in | [2] |
| Earth radius | 60.32 | [14] | |
| AU | 1/388.6 = 0.00257 | [15][16] | |
| light-second | 1.282 s | 37.5 ps | [2] |
- An AU is something like 390 Lunar distances (for 150 million km versus 384,402 km) or about 375 when using 400 thousand km)
- A Light year is 23 651 321 Lunar distances (for 400 thousand km)
- A Parsec is about 77 141 940 lunar distances (for 400 thousand km)
- The distance to Alpha Centari (4.37 light years) is approximately 103 285 319 Lunar distances (400 kilo km)
A lunar distance, 384402 km, is the Moon’s average distance to Earth. The actual distance varies over the course of its orbit. The image compares the Moon’s apparent size when it is closest and farthest from Earth.
