Space questions, answered
How far is the Moon from Earth?
The Moon is about 384,400 km (238,900 miles) from Earth on average — but the distance changes constantly, from roughly 356,500 km at its closest to 406,700 km at its farthest.
The Moon's orbit is an ellipse, not a circle, so its distance varies by about 50,000 km over each month. The closest point is called perigee and the farthest apogee — a full Moon at perigee is the 'supermoon' you may have heard of, appearing slightly larger and brighter.
Light — and radio — crosses that average gap in about 1.3 seconds, which is why the communications delay with Apollo crews was noticeable but small. The Moon is also drifting away from Earth by about 3.8 cm per year.
People also ask
How long does light take to reach the Moon?
About 1.3 seconds each way, so a radio round-trip is roughly 2.6 seconds.
Is the Moon getting farther away?
Yes — tidal interaction pushes it outward by about 3.8 centimeters per year.
Sources: NASA — Earth's Moon