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How far is the Moon from Earth right now?
The Moon is 369,496 km from Earth right now, moving away at 18 km/h.
The Moon from Earth, right now
Centre to centre. Worked out in your browser from JPL's orbital elements and Meeus's lunar theory, the same maths that moves the planets in the 3D viewer, and updated ten times a second.
Where the Moon is today
Why the distance keeps changing
The Moon's orbit is an ellipse, and the Sun's pull keeps stretching and twisting it. Each lap, about every 27.6 days, the Moon passes perigee (closest) and apogee (farthest).
Not every perigee is equally close. When a full Moon lands near a close perigee it looks a little bigger and brighter, which is what people call a supermoon.
The Moon ranges from about 356,400 km at its closest perigees to about 406,700 km at its farthest apogees.
Questions
How far is the Moon from Earth right now?
On 2 October 2026, the Moon was 369,496 km from Earth (229,594 miles, 0.002470 AU), and moving away at 18 km/h. The figure at the top of this page is worked out live in your browser, so it is current whenever you read it.
When is the Moon next closest to Earth?
The Moon next comes closest to Earth on 28 October 2026, 18:05 UTC, at about 364,409 km. Close approaches like this, at perigee, come round about every 27.6 days.
How long does light take to travel from the Moon to Earth?
Right now light from the Moon takes 1.23 s to reach us, so we see the Moon as it was that long ago. Radio signals to a spacecraft there take the same time.
What is the closest and farthest the Moon gets from Earth?
The Moon's closest perigees come to about 356,400 km and its farthest apogees reach about 406,700 km. The average distance is about 384,400 km.