The moon at apogee
The orbit of the moon around the earth is elliptical. As a result, the distance of the moon from the earth always changes. If it was perfectly circular then it would not have changed.
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 2024?
The next lunar apogee in 2024 will be on Tuesday, October 29, at 22:50 UTC (6:50 p.m. EDT).
Distance of the moon: During the apogee, the distance of the moon from the earth will be 406,164 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 29.42 arcminutes. The average angular diameter of the moon is 31 arcminutes.
Moon phase: During the apogee, the moon will be in the waning crescent phase and 8% illuminated.
Lunar apogee dates in 2024 with distance
Here are all the dates of the lunar apogee in 2024, along with their distance according to NASA:
| Date | Time (UTC) | Distance (km) | Angular diameter (arcmin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 01 | 15:28 | 404911 | 29.51 |
| January 29 | 08:14 | 405781 | 29.45 |
| February 25 | 15:00 | 406316 | 29.41 |
| March 23 | 15:44 | 406292 | 29.41 |
| April 20 | 02:09 | 405625 | 29.46 |
| May 17 | 19:00 | 404641 | 29.53 |
| June 14 | 13:36 | 404078 | 29.57 |
| July 12 | 08:12 | 404363 | 29.55 |
| August 09 | 01:32 | 405298 | 29.48 |
| September 05 | 14:55 | 406215 | 29.42 |
| October 02 | 19:40 | 406517 | 29.40 |
| October 29 | 22:50 | 406164 | 29.42 |
| November 26 | 11:56 | 405315 | 29.48 |
| December 24 | 07:25 | 404486 | 29.54 |
Related article: What is lunar perigee and when is the next one?
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get latest space news, upcoming skywatching events and astronomy-related content.
