{"id":4168,"date":"2023-03-13T15:33:45","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T12:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rochaksafar.com\/?p=4168"},"modified":"2023-03-13T15:33:45","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T12:33:45","slug":"how-far-is-the-moon-from-mars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rochaksafar.com\/how-far-is-the-moon-from-mars\/","title":{"rendered":"How Far Is The Moon From Mars?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Far Is The Moon From Mars?<\/span><\/h1>\n

The Moon is a highly recognizable astronomical object<\/a> in the night sky. It’s also one of our solar system’s largest and most important objects.<\/span><\/p>\n

The distance between the Moon and Earth constantly changes due to the tidal interaction between our planet and the Moon. As a result, the answer to how far the Moon is from mars will vary depending on the time of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Far Is The Moon From Mars?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Mars is one of our closest and most-familiar planets<\/a>. We love to watch it shine brightly among the stars and always wonder how far it is from us!<\/span><\/p>\n

The distance between Mars and Earth varies, but on average, it’s 140 million miles (225 million kilometers). In fact, at its closest point from the Sun \u2013 known as perihelion \u2013 it’s only about 128 million miles (206 million km) away.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it’s at its farthest \u2013 called aphelion \u2013 Mars is about 154 million miles (249 million kilometers) away. The difference between these two distances isn’t very large, but it does mean it takes a little longer for a spacecraft to reach Mars than for an astronaut to get there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mars and Earth orbit the Sun at different speeds, constantly changing their distances. In addition, their orbits are not perfectly circular, meaning the two planets pass each other on average every 84 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

But even if their distances remained the same, it still wouldn’t make much difference. The Moon is also close to the Sun, but it’s not the same. The Moon is closer to the Sun when it’s a new moon and farthest from the Sun when it’s a full moon.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, if the Moon were only twice as far from Earth as it is, then the Sun would be on top of it, which could create some very bad tidal disasters! That’s why scientists always try to keep the distance between the two planets at an average of 142 million miles (228 million km).<\/span><\/p>\n

You might think that it’s closer to Mars because the Moon is farther away from the Sun when it’s a new Moon. However, the Moon is closer to Mars when it’s at apogee than it is when it’s at perigee!<\/span><\/p>\n

The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is elliptical, which means it goes far from the Earth at one point in its orbit, and then close to the Earth at another. This explains why the Moon looks a little larger when it’s at apogee and a little smaller when it’s at perigee!<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Find The Moon’s Distance From Mars<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

When you see a photo of the Moon, it may look like it’s very close to Earth. Unfortunately, this isn’t entirely accurate<\/a> – the Moon and Earth are an average distance of 384,400 kilometers (238,855 miles) from one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

You’ll need a little math if you want to know how far the Moon is from mars. You’ll need to know how many astronomical units are between the Earth and the Moon and how close the Moon is to its apogee and perigee.<\/span><\/p>\n

You’ll also need to know how long it takes for the Moon to go around the Sun. This is called a lunar day.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical path, meaning it’s closer at certain times and farther at others. At its apogee, the Moon is 252,088 miles (405,696 kilometers) from the Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

At its perigee, the Moon is 225,623 miles (363,104 kilometers) from the Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

These numbers can be confusing, so you’ll need to determine the astronomical units. Astronomers use these units of distance to measure the distance between the planets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now you’ll need to calculate how long it will take for the Moon to travel through the plane with you, your friend, and the center of the Earth. You can do this by using spherical trigonometry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you know how long it will take for the Moon to pass through that plane, you’ll need to calculate its height. This can be done by calculating the angles of the spherical triangle and then subtracting those angles from 180 degrees.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then you’ll need to add that height to the Earth’s radius, which is 8100 kilometers. Then you’ll need to subtract the planets’ radii from that and have the correct distance.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can use a calculator or simply take a ruler and draw a line from the Earth to the Moon. Then you’ll need to measure the length of that line and write it down. You’ll then need to multiply that number by the average distance between the planets.<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Find The Moon’s Apogee<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

The Moon is subject to several motions as it orbits the Earth<\/a>, so its distance from us can vary. This is largely due to its orbital eccentricity, which is 5.49% (as major Solar System bodies go), and the effect of the Sun’s tidal force on its orbit.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the Moon arcs away from us at perigee and returns to us at apogee, its distance varies by as much as 14% from our perspective. This is one reason it appears larger at perigee than at apogee, as shown in the photograph below.<\/span><\/p>\n

It helps to consider how light behaves at different distances to make sense of the difference in angular size. Light intensity varies as the inverse square of the distance between the source and the observer, so the Moon shines brighter at apogee than at perigee by about 30%.<\/span><\/p>\n

But few people ever notice this because they see the Moon in a sky that offers no absolute reference to judge its angular extent. The only way to observe the difference is to use a scale or to take photos of the Moon at perigee and apogee and compare them.<\/span><\/p>\n

This experiment is simple:<\/span><\/p>\n