Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A lunar distance, 384,399 km (238,854 mi), 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 nearest and farthest from Earth. General information. Unit system.
Earth and the Moon orbit about their barycentre (common centre of mass), which lies about 4,670 km (2,900 miles) from Earth's centre (about 73% of its radius), forming a satellite system called the Earth–Moon system. On average, the distance to the Moon is about 384,400 km (238,900 mi) from Earth's centre, which corresponds to about 60 Earth ...
[20] [21] The distance continually changes for a number of reasons, but averages 385,000.6 km (239,228.3 mi) between the center of the Earth and the center of the Moon. [22] The orbits of the Moon and planets are integrated numerically along with the orientation of the Moon called physical libration .
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite.It orbits at an average distance of 384,400 km (238,900 mi), about 30 times the diameter of Earth. Tidal forces between Earth and the Moon have synchronized the Moon's orbital period (lunar month) with its rotation period at 29.5 Earth days, causing the same side of the Moon to always face Earth.
The astronomical unit (symbol: au[1][2][3][4] or AU) is a unit of length defined to be exactly equal to 149,597,870,700 m. [5] Historically, the astronomical unit was conceived as the average Earth-Sun distance (the average of Earth's aphelion and perihelion), before its modern redefinition in 2012. The astronomical unit is used primarily for ...
Although the Moon's Hill sphere extends to a radius of 60,000 km (37,000 mi), [6] the gravity of Earth intervenes enough to make lunar orbits unstable at a distance of 690 km (430 mi). [7] The Lagrange points of the Earth-Moon system can provide stable orbits in the lunar vicinity, such as halo orbits and distant retrograde orbits.
Equivalent distance in Example Meters Kilometers Miles light-second 1 light-second 299 792 458 m: 2.998 × 10 5 km: 1.863 × 10 5 miles: Average distance from the Earth to the Moon is about 1.282 light-seconds light-minute 60 light-seconds = 1 light-minute 17 987 547 480 m: 1.799 × 10 7 km: 1.118 × 10 7 miles
The percentage columns show the distance from the orbit compared to the semimajor axis. E.g. for the Moon, L 1 is 326 400 km from Earth's center, which is 84.9% of the Earth–Moon distance or 15.1% "in front of" (Earthwards from) the Moon; L 2 is located 448 900 km from Earth's center, which is 116.8% of the Earth–Moon distance or 16.8% ...