The moon at apogee
The distance of the moon from the earth always changes because the moon orbits in an elliptical orbit around the earth.
The moon reaches apogee, meaning it reaches the farthest point from the earth in its elliptical orbit. Here, apogee comes from two words: apo, meaning far away, and geo, meaning earth.
The moon appears slightly smaller than usual when it reaches apogee.
Now, these farthest distances vary every time the moon reaches apogee. This is because the orbit of the moon wobbles due to the gravitational perturbations of the sun.
The full moon at apogee
If a full moon occurs near apogee then it’s called a micromoon. A micromoon is about 7% smaller than a regular full moon and about 14% smaller than a supermoon.
How often is the moon at apogee?
The moon reaches apogee once every anomalistic month or 27.555 days. The moon takes 27.555 days to complete one orbit around the Earth with respect to the perigee, the nearest point from the earth in its orbit. This is called an anomalistic month.
Now, the moon takes 27.322 days to complete one orbit around the Earth with respect to the background stars. This is called a sidereal month. So an anomalistic month is slightly longer than a sidereal month.
When is the next lunar apogee in 2025?
The moon will reach its next apogee on January 21, 2025, at 04:55 UTC (11:55 p.m. EST on January 20).
Distance of the moon: During the apogee, the distance of the moon from the earth will be 404,299 kilometers. The average distance of the moon from the earth is 384,400 kilometers.
Angular diameter: During the apogee, the angular diameter (disk size) of the moon will be 29.56 arcminutes. The average angular diameter of the moon is 31 arcminutes.
Moon phase: During the apogee, the moon will be in the third quarter phase and 50% illuminated.
When is the moon farthest from Earth in 2025?
The moon will be farthest from Earth in 2025 on November 20 at 02:48 UTC, when it will be 406,693 km away. This will be the longest distance between the Earth and the moon in 2025.
Lunar apogee dates for 2025 with distances
Here are all the dates of lunar apogee in 2025, along with their distances, according to NASA:
| Date | Time (UTC) | Distance (km) | Angular diameter (arcmin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 21 | 04:55 | 404299 | 29.56 |
| February 18 | 01:11 | 404882 | 29.51 |
| March 17 | 16:37 | 405754 | 29.45 |
| April 13 | 22:48 | 406295 | 29.41 |
| May 11 | 00:49 | 406245 | 29.42 |
| June 07 | 10:42 | 405553 | 29.47 |
| July 05 | 02:29 | 404627 | 29.53 |
| August 01 | 20:37 | 404164 | 29.57 |
| August 29 | 15:34 | 404552 | 29.54 |
| September 26 | 09:46 | 405552 | 29.47 |
| October 23 | 23:31 | 406445 | 29.40 |
| November 20 | 02:48 | 406693 | 29.38 |
| December 17 | 06:09 | 406324 | 29.41 |
Related article: Lunar perigee 2025: When is the next one?
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