Lunar apogees in 2026: When do they occur?

The moon at apogee

The distance of the moon from Earth always changes because the moon orbits in an elliptical orbit around Earth.

The moon reaches apogee, meaning it reaches the farthest point from 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.

However, 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 at or 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 does the moon reach apogee?

The moon reaches apogee once every anomalistic month, or 27.555 days. The moon takes 27.555 days to complete one orbit around Earth with respect to the perigee—the nearest point to Earth in its orbit. This is called an anomalistic month. 

Now, the moon takes 27.322 days to complete one orbit around 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 will the next lunar apogee occur?

The moon will reach its next apogee—its farthest point from Earth—on October 16, 2026, at 22:56 UTC (6:56 p.m. EDT), when it will be 404,639 km from Earth.

Lunar apogees in 2026

Here are the dates, times, and distances for all lunar apogees in 2026:

Related article: Lunar perigees in 2026: When do they occur?

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