On a clear night sky, viewing twinkly stars and a spherical celestial body among them- yes, the Moon, we all must have thought; how long does it take to the Moon from Earth, right?
Whether you’re a budding astronaut or in a different profession, wishing to visit and say ‘Hello!’ to the Moon must have occurred to you at least once. The Moon might seem to be near to the Earth, but the fact is that it is much farther than we can imagine, and the answer to how far is the moon from Earth is not that simple. Why? Well, read further and know for yourself.
To know how long does it take to the Moon from the Earth, you first need to see the distance between the two.
How Far Is The Moon From Earth?
The 5th largest satellite in the Solar System, Moon, is Earth’s only natural satellite, and the closest celestial neighbor residing in the universe at an average distance of 384,400 km, i.e., 238856 miles.
You would be left startled to learn the reason NASA uses the term ‘average’ to explain this distance- it is because it keeps changing.
This happens because of the Moon’s orbit. So the answer to ‘how long does it take to the moon’ is not straight. The Moon revolves around the Earth in an oval-shaped (elliptical) orbit which makes it come quite close to it at one time and pretty far at the other. That’s why reckoning the exact distance between the two is tricky. This raises three questions:
- What Is The Minimum Distance Between The Earth & Moon?
When the Moon and Earth share most proximity, the not so far distance between the two is described as ‘perigee.’ At the closest point (aspis), the distance between the Earth and the Moon is said to be around 363,104 km (225 623 miles).
- What Is The Maximum Distance Between The Earth & Moon?
When the Moon and Earth are far-flung, the distance between the two is described as ‘apogee.’ At this point, the distance between the Earth and the Moon is said to be around 405696.3103 km (252088 miles).
- What Is The Minimum Distance Between The Earth & Moon?
The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,400 km, i.e., 238856 miles. At this distance, the Moon is neither too close nor too far to/from the Earth.
How Long Does It Take To The Moon?
On average, it takes about 3 days to reach the Moon from the Earth. Nevertheless, how long does it take to the Moon depends on two things-
- Direction and
- Speed
Of the spacecraft.
The race to the Moon became one of the subsequent results of esteem stature in the aftermath of World War III between the Soviet Union and the United States. In 1959, the Soviet Union launched Luna 1, a spacecraft with no propulsion system, to the earth’s only natural satellite for the first time. Within one day and around ten hours, it reached the heliocentric orbit of the Moon.
After that, other spacecraft, Luna 2 and Luna 3, were sent to the earth’s only natural satellite with different impacts to get its images. Nevertheless, Luna 9 was the first human-made spacecraft that landed softly on the Moon’s surface in 1966. The same year, Luna 10 successfully concluded the rounds around the Moon’s orbit.
How Long Did It Take Neil Armstrong To Get To The Moon In 1969?
The year 1969 marks the historical event of NASA’s first human-powered spacecraft landing on the Moon. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Col. Michael Collins took off on Mission Apollo 11 on the 20th of July 1969 as commander and co-pilots, respectively. The astronaut trio was sent to the earth’s only natural satellite in three divisions of Apollo 11; one was a command module operated by Armstrong and Aldrin which had to land on the Moon; another was a lunar module being handled by Collins in lunar orbit, and a service module that served as the umbilical connection between the other two modules in the Sea of Tranquility. Apollo 11 was set to broadcast the whole chain of events as the historical moment of a human stepping onto the Moon for the very first time was established.
Neil Armstrong became the first to step on the Moon and was joined by Buzz Aldrin 19 minutes later. The duo spent more than 2 hours exploring the Earth’s only natural satellite with their eyes. They collected the Moon’s geographical samples (lunar material) while pilot Col. Michael Collins handled the spacecraft- Columbia in lunar orbit.
Countless astronauts and researchers of NASA worked their fingers to the bones for this date-marking event. It took almost two years to analyze and identify the perfect spot for landing. When Kennedy Space Center in Florida launched Apollo 11 at 9:32 AM, Eastern time, on July 16, 1969, there were hopes of making new advancements to the project.
On 20th July 1969, the spacecraft landed on the Moon’s surface. After a few hours, on 21st July 1969, Neil Armstrong experienced walking on the earth’s only natural satellite for the first time. Then, after exploring the earth’s only natural satellite for 21 hours and 36 minutes, the trio buckled up to return to the home planet. After completing the mission, they landed on Earth on the 24th of July, 1969.
This finally settled the victory of the US and the prestige to achieve the goal President John F. Kennedy proposed in 1961- “before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”
Other Spacecraft That Made It To Moon
- In 2003, the European Smart Agency (ESA) did launch its first satellite, SMART- 1, to the Moon. The launch was scheduled for the 27th of September 2003, reached the Moon’s final orbit on the 27th of February 2005, and was cashed on plan into the Moon on the completion of the mission on the 3rd of September 2006.
- With a speed of 16.26 km per second (i.e., 58,536 km/h), the New Horizons spacecraft of NASA holds the record for passing the Moon’s orbit in nearly 9 hours in 2006.
- India executed its 1st mission to the Moon- Chandrayaan- 1, on 22nd October 2008; the spacecraft entered the Moon’s lunar orbit on 8th November 2008. ISRO successfully launched another spacecraft under the Chandrayaan- 2 project on 22 July 2019, which reached the Moon’s orbit on 22 August 2019. ISRO launched another lunar probe- LVM3-M4 at 2.35 p.m. IST on 14th of July 2023 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota for soft landing and the nation has the spirits up.
- China executed its first space mission to the Moon on 24th October 2014 with Chang’e 1. It moved the Moon’s surface on 1st March 2009. It has successfully made five attempts in total in its lunar probe mission.
- Manfred Memorial Moon Mission carried out the 1st private lunar probe on 23rd October 2014. It impacted the Moon’s surface on 4th March 2022.
Bottom Line
Curiosity has made humans explore several things, including the earth’s only natural satellite. The first question that comes to mind when discussing Moon exploration is, ‘How long does it take to the Moon?’ Considering the different distances between the Moon and Earth, the answer to the question of how long does it take to the Moon is not that simple. However, on average, it takes 3 long days to reach the Moon, NASA confirms.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
#1. How Long Does It Take To The Moon?
As per NASA, it takes 3 days to get to the Moon.
#2. What Is ‘Perigee’ And ‘Apogee?’
When we talk about how long does it take to the Moon, Perigee defines the minimum distance between the Earth and the Moon. On the other hand, ‘Apogee’ represents the maximum distance between the two.
#3. Which Country Landed On The Moon First?
The Soviet Union launched the Lunar1 to the Moon for the first time in 1959.
#4. How Long Did It Take To Get To The Moon In 1969?
In 1969, NASA carried out the mission- Apollo- 1. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Col. Michael Collins were sent to explore the Earth’s only natural satellite. The spacecraft was launched at 9:32 AM, Eastern time, on 16th July, 1969. On 20th July, 1969, the spacecraft landed on the Moon’s surface.
#5. Why Does The Moon Orbit The Earth And Not The Sun?
This happens because the distance between the Sun and Moon is huge, resulting in low gravitational force.
