You probably looked up at the sky tonight and thought the moon looked a bit massive. Or maybe you're just curious if that bright white disc is creeping toward us. It's a fair question. Is the moon closer to earth today than it was yesterday, or will be tomorrow?
The short answer is: almost certainly.
The moon doesn't move in a perfect circle. It’s not like a tetherball swinging around a pole at a fixed distance. Instead, it follows an elliptical path—sort of a squashed circle. This means every single second of every single day, the moon is either getting slightly closer to us or drifting slightly further away. It’s never just sitting still.
The dance of perigee and apogee
To understand why the moon's distance changes, we have to talk about the "squish" of its orbit. Astronomers call this eccentricity. Because the orbit isn't a perfect circle, there are two specific points that matter for your backyard stargazing.
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First, there’s perigee. That’s the point in the month when the moon is at its absolute closest to Earth. When the moon hits perigee, it’s usually about 226,000 miles (363,300 kilometers) away. Then there’s apogee, the far point. At apogee, it drifts out to about 251,000 miles (405,500 kilometers).
That’s a difference of roughly 25,000 miles. Think about that. You could fit three whole Earths in that gap.
So, when you ask if the moon is closer today, you're really asking where we are on that elliptical slide. If we are moving toward perigee, then yes, the moon is getting closer by the hour. If we just passed it, the moon is starting its long, slow retreat.
Why it looks so big (The Supermoon Factor)
We’ve all seen the headlines. "Supermoon tonight!" "Biggest moon of the century!" Honestly, the media loves a good supermoon story because it gets clicks. But a supermoon is just a fancy way of saying a Full Moon is happening right around the time of perigee.
When these two events align, the moon can appear about 14% larger and 30% brighter than a "micromoon" (a full moon at apogee). Does it look different? Yeah, a bit. But unless you’re a seasoned observer, the change is subtle. Most of the time, that "giant" moon you see on the horizon is actually just a trick of your brain called the Moon Illusion. Your brain sees the moon next to trees or buildings and panics, making it look enormous.
Gravity is a tug-of-war
The distance between us and our lunar neighbor isn't just a fun fact for trivia night. It has real-world consequences. Gravity.
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The closer the moon is, the stronger its gravitational pull on our oceans. During perigee, we experience "perigean spring tides." These aren't tides that happen in the spring season; they’re tides that "spring" up higher than usual. If you live on the coast and the moon is closer to Earth today, you might notice the high tide creeping a few inches further up the beach than it did last week.
It’s not just the water, either. The Earth itself flexes. We call them terrestrial tides. The very ground you're standing on rises and falls by a few centimeters as the moon passes by. You can't feel it, but sensitive scientific instruments at NASA and the USGS track it constantly.
The moon is actually leaving us (Slowly)
Here is the weird part. While the moon gets closer and further away every month, the long-term trend is a breakup.
The moon is spiraling away from Earth at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters (1.5 inches) per year. That’s roughly the same speed your fingernails grow. Why? It's all about tidal friction. The Earth’s rotation is slightly faster than the moon’s orbit. The tidal bulge the moon creates on Earth actually "pulls" the moon forward, giving it a little boost of energy that pushes it into a higher, wider orbit.
Millions of years ago, the moon was much closer. Dinosaurs would have seen a moon that looked significantly larger in the sky than the one we see today. Millions of years from now, the moon will be so far away that total solar eclipses will no longer be possible. The moon won't be big enough to cover the sun entirely.
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How to check for yourself
You don't need a PhD to figure out if the moon is closer to Earth today. You just need a bit of data.
Websites like Time and Date or apps like SkySafari provide real-time tracking of lunar distance. They’ll show you the exact mileage down to the decimal point. If you want to be a real nerd about it, you can track the "angular diameter" of the moon. This is a measurement of how much space the moon takes up in your field of vision, measured in arcminutes.
- Average diameter: Around 31 arcminutes.
- Perigee diameter: Can reach up to 34.1 arcminutes.
- Apogee diameter: Can drop to 29.3 arcminutes.
The impact of other planets
Space is crowded. Well, not crowded-crowded, but it's full of gravitational bullies.
The Sun is the biggest bully, obviously. Its gravity constantly tugs on the Earth-Moon system, causing the moon's orbit to wobble and shift. This is called precession. But even planets like Venus and Jupiter have a tiny, measurable effect on the moon's distance.
When Jupiter is on the same side of the Sun as us, its massive gravity can slightly "stretch" the moon’s orbit. This means some perigees are "closer" than others. Astronomers have to account for these perturbations when they calculate things like lunar eclipses or spacecraft trajectories.
Common myths about lunar distance
People get weird when the moon gets close. There are endless myths about how a closer moon causes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or even changes in human behavior (the "lunacy" effect).
Let's clear some of that up. While the moon's gravity does stress the Earth's crust, there is no consistent scientific evidence that a perigee moon triggers major earthquakes. The Earth is pretty sturdy. As for human behavior? Dozens of studies have looked at hospital admissions and crime rates during full moons and perigee events. The result is almost always the same: nothing. We just notice weird things more when the moon is bright, which creates a "confirmation bias."
What to do tonight
If you find out the moon is indeed closer to Earth today, take advantage of it. You don't need a telescope. A simple pair of binoculars will do. When the moon is closer, the shadows in the craters along the "terminator" (the line between the light and dark side) look sharper and more detailed.
Check your local moonrise time. Seeing the moon come up over the horizon when it's near perigee is one of the coolest free shows nature puts on.
Actionable Steps for Lunar Observers:
- Check the distance: Use a real-time tracker to see if the moon is currently approaching or receding from perigee. If the distance is under 365,000 km, it's "close."
- Watch the tides: If you're near a coast, look at the tide charts for the next 48 hours. See if the high tides are predicted to be higher than the monthly average.
- Find the horizon: Locate a spot with a clear view of the eastern horizon at moonrise. This is where the "Moon Illusion" is strongest, making the physically closer moon look even more spectacular.
- Photograph the scale: Use a telephoto lens (200mm or more) to snap a photo of the moon near a landmark. Compare this to a photo taken six months later to see the actual size difference.
The moon is our constant companion, but it’s a restless one. Whether it’s closer or further today, it’s always on the move, shaping our tides and lighting up our nights in a cycle that has continued for billions of years. Keep looking up.
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