How Far Is the Moon in Different Curious Units
On average, the Moon is 384,400 km from Earth, or about 238,855 miles. That is the reference figure you see in books and encyclopedias, but it hides some nuances: the distance changes over the course of the month, and the units you use can make it easier to picture. Here is the distance to the Moon in kilometers and miles, and also in feet, meters, steps, football fields and light-seconds.
How many kilometers to the Moon
If you are wondering how many kilometers it is to the Moon, the standard answer is 384,400 km. It is the average distance between the centers of the Earth and the Moon, and it is measured with great precision thanks to laser reflectors left on the lunar surface by the Apollo missions and by Soviet probes.
Earth-Moon distance in miles and feet
To convert kilometers to miles, multiply by 0.621371. So 384,400 km is equal to about 238,855 miles. For those who use the imperial system, this is the usual figure. If you want it in feet, knowing that a mile has 5,280 feet, you get roughly 1,261,154,000 feet. Straight from the metric system, 384,400 km is 384,400,000 meters.
- Kilometers: 384,400 km
- Miles: ≈ 238,855 mi
- Meters: 384,400,000 m
- Feet: ≈ 1,261,154,000 ft
The distance to the Moon in different units
With numbers this large, everyday units stop being convenient. Even so, conversions help you get a sense of scale. Other length units, with rounded values:
- Nautical miles: ≈ 207,559 nmi (1 nmi = 1.852 km)
- Yards: ≈ 420,384,000 yd
- Inches: ≈ 15,133,858,000 in
- Astronomical units: ≈ 0.00257 AU (1 AU ≈ 149,597,871 km)
- Light-years: ≈ 0.0000000406 ly
The Moon measured in light
Light travels at 299,792 km/s. Dividing 384,400 by that speed, light takes roughly 1.28 seconds to travel from Earth to the Moon. That is why, in a conversation between Earth and a lunar astronaut, there is a delay of about 2.6 seconds between question and answer (the signal’s round trip). In light units, the Moon is 1.28 light-seconds away.
The Moon in steps and football fields
With an average step of 0.75 m, you would need to take about 512 million steps to reach the Moon in a straight line. If you enjoy this kind of comparison, how far you would travel if you walked a million steps gives you a reference for scaling up. In football fields 105 m long, it would take about 3.66 million placed end to end.
How many Earths fit between us and the Moon
The diameter of the Earth is about 12,742 km. If you line them up, about 30 Earths fit between the Earth and the Moon. It is a very useful picture: the space between the two bodies is much greater than school drawings usually show, where they look much closer together.
Why the distance is not always the same
The Moon’s orbit is elliptical. At perigee, the closest point, the Moon is about 363,300 km (225,744 miles) away, and at apogee, the farthest, about 405,500 km (251,966 miles). The difference exceeds 42,000 km. In addition, the Moon moves away from the Earth by about 3.8 cm per year, roughly the rate at which fingernails grow.
How long it would take to get there
The Apollo missions took around 3 days for the outbound trip. At the speed of a car on a highway (100 km/h), you would need 3,844 hours, almost 160 days. On a commercial airplane at 900 km/h, it would be about 427 hours, close to 18 days. And once you are there, if you want to know how your body changes, check how much you would weigh on the Moon compared to Earth.
Frequently asked questions
How many kilometers is it from the Earth to the Moon?
The average distance is 384,400 kilometers, measured between the centers of the Earth and the Moon. It varies between about 363,300 km at perigee and 405,500 km at apogee.
How many miles is it from the Earth to the Moon?
About 238,855 miles on average. You get it by multiplying 384,400 km by 0.621371.
How many feet is it from the Earth to the Moon?
Roughly 1,261,154,000 feet on average, since each mile has 5,280 feet.
How long does it take light to reach the Moon?
About 1.28 seconds on average, because light travels at about 299,792 km/s.
Is the Moon moving away from the Earth?
Yes. It moves away about 3.8 centimeters every year, according to laser reflector measurements.