How many kilometers is the Moon from Earth: it is not as close as it seems

  • The average distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,440 km.
  • The first manned mission to the Moon was Apollo 11 in 1969.
  • The Moon's gravitational pull affects tides on Earth.
  • The Moon has inspired numerous studies and cultural works throughout history.

The different stars, which we can observe from Earth when looking at the sky, can have different characteristics, some of them are more twinkling than others, with a dimmer or brighter light, and they can also vary in size and presence, that is, the regularity or periodicity with which we see these stars in the sky, many of these factors have to do with distances, for example: wise to How many kilometers is the moon from the Earth?

This is a question that everyone at some point in our lives cosmic curiosity we realize, and the most important thing, is that we elaborate it at almost all levels of our lives and development. Or has anyone in their moment of love and passion promised to lower the moon for their true love?

The moon has always been the object of much inspiration and poetic cause, from those who taste the dim light of its nocturnal splendor, like even those that sprout from inside a hungry canine with a thirst for slaughter: better known as werewolves.

Hence, then, we suppose that the Moon has a high level of presence among us, or rather, of closeness, since it has been of so much inspiration and praise that the journey from our planet and home, from the cultural point of view, appears be a very short tour. Do you think this way? don't worry, you don't mean you're a lunatic, just a very inspired earthling.

Now, we could know how many kilometers the moon is from the earth, of course we could, since the beginning of cosmonautical studies, the moon has been the object of quintessential observation of the terrestrial scientists, even of ancient philosophers of our history; the moon has always been part of every cosmonaut's agenda. Thanks to advances in computing and robotics, we have even been able to walk on its surface.

First visit to the moon: a small step for man, but a giant leap for humanity

The Moon is the only celestial body in which the human being has made a manned descent. Although the Luna program of the Soviet Union was the first to reach the Moon with an unmanned spacecraft, on July 20, 1969 the North American space mission: Apollo 11 carried the first men to the Moon: among which we can highlight this mission are: el comandante Neil Armstrong and module pilot Edwin F. Aldrin.

Apollo 11 was propelled from Earth by a Saturn V rocket assembled on the LC 39A platform and launched at 13:32 UTC from the Cape Kennedy complex in Florida, United States. It was officially billed as the mission AS-506. This feat of scientific engineering and cosmonautics is considered one of the most significant moments in the history of man and technology.

A trip of this type deserves more than a snack for the road, On July 16, the astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins are transferred to the ship to proceed with its subsequent launch. The process of verifying all the instruments is an arduous task involving hundreds of professionals interconnected with each other, in order to fulfill the mission.

That is to say that the journey from the Earth to our natural satellite took four days. uninterrupted tour, in this way we can infer a little of the distance at which the moon is from our home, considering that the speed of Apollo was between 45 km/h and 000 km/h.

Develop this information further here: WHAT IS THE GRAVITY OF THE PLANETS THAT MAKE UP OUR SOLAR SYSTEM?

But how many kilometers is the moon from the earth exactly

The distance from the Earth to the Moon is more than 380.000 km. Actually, this metric number has been known for a long time, even before it was invented. the first telescope in our land. We would be talking about the XNUMXth century, when Galileo Galilei made the first telescopic observations, when it was also discovered that the Moon is covered with craters of different shapes and sizes.

Thus, the first measurement made to determine the distance between the Moon and the Earth was carried out strictly theoretically, but that does not mean it is presumed to be wrong. Responsible for this measurement It was Aristarchus, a Greek astronomer, mathematician and philosopher, who lived between 300 and 200 BC.

The Greek Aristarchus was the first scientist to propose the heliocentric model of the Solar System, placing the sun as the center of the universe we know today. Said trace was achieved through geometric calculations, it also managed to determine the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Based on this background, perhaps 100 years later, these numerical calculations were refined by another Greek astronomer named Hipparchus, who invented and proposed trigonometry. Much more recently, with the advent of the space race, all have been deciphered the secrets of the Moon, our only natural satellite. We have been more interested in the Moon, that we know more about it, than about our deep oceans and seas.

So then we say that the most precise distance between the earth and the moon is 384,440 km, and if we use mathematics, which does not lie; between the Earth and our satellite there is a distance that would be the sum of the diameters of Mercury: 4.879 km, Venus: 12.104km, Mars: 6.794 km, Jupiter: 142.984 km, Saturn: 116,464 km, Uranus: 50.724 km and Neptune: 49.244 km.

Incredible as it may seem, that would be a way to exemplify the distance that exists between the earth and the moon, putting all these planets next to each other, it would cover the distance from our world to our only natural satellite.

It is important to note that the Moon is not always at the same distance from Earth. The orbit it traces is not a perfect circle. In this sense, when the Moon is farther away, it is at 384,440 km awayAt its closest, the Moon is 225,623 km away. That is between 28 and 29 times the earth.

If you are interested in this topic, read: WHAT ARE THE MOONS OF MARS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS?

Importance of the moon for our planet and daily life

It has been scientifically studied, after many years of rumors and speculations on the subject, that there is a deep correlation between the phases of the moon and the biological rhythms of humans during sleep.

As well as the tides because the Earth and the moon attract each other, just as two magnets attract each other. Our natural satellite: The moon tries to pull anything in the Earth to bring her closer, but the Earth is capable of withstanding the moon's push on anything except water, which is detached from the solid part.

Read more about it here: WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPOSED PLANET IN OUR UNIVERSE?

As the water is always in motion, the Earth cannot contain it entirely, so the moon is able to pull it by its gravitational force. Every day, there are two tides known: the high and two low tides. There is a difference of approximately 12 hours and 25 minutes between the two tides produced by our lunar planet.

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