how will you travel to the moon ? full answer
Answers
The short answer is, the average distance to the Moon is 384,403 km (238,857 miles). But before you go thinking that this is the final answer, you need to consider a few things. For starters, note the use of the word “average”. This refers to the fact that the Moon orbits around the Earth in an elliptical pattern, which means that at certain times, it will be father away; while at others, it will be closer.
Hence, the number 384,403 km, is an average distance that astronomers call the semi-major axis. At its closest point (known as perigee) the Moon is only 363,104 km (225,622 miles) away. And at its most distant point (called apogee) the Moon gets to a distance of 406,696 km (252,088 miles).
This means that distance from the Earth to the Moon can vary by 43,592 km. That’s a pretty big difference, and it can make the Moon appear dramatically different in size depending on where it is in its orbit. For instance, the size of the Moon can vary by more than 15% from when it’s at its closest to when it’s at the most distant point.
It can also have a dramatic effect on how bright the moon appears when it is in its Full phase. As one might expect, the brightest full Moons occur when the Moon is at the closest, which are typically 30% brighter than when it’s fathest away. When it’s a Full Moon, and it’s a close Moon, it’s known as a Supermoon; which is also known by it technical name – perigee-syzygy.