Get ready for a lunar event so rare, it won't happen again for almost two decades! This month's new moon is set to be the farthest from Earth until 2043. That's right, the farthest. We're not just talking about a slightly longer distance; this new moon will be setting records! You might be asking, "so what?" Well, the Moon's distance from Earth affects our tides, and even subtly influences our planet's overall energy. This super-distant new moon gives scientists a unique opportunity to study these effects, and it's just plain cool to witness a celestial event that's this uncommon.
Now, you might be familiar with supermoons – those dazzling full moons that appear larger and brighter in the night sky because they're closer to Earth. But here's the thing: for every supermoon, there's a corresponding new moon that's farther away than average. Think of it like a cosmic see-saw. And the upcoming new moon on November 20th is not just a little farther; it's going to be the most distant until December 1st, 2043!
To understand why this happens, let's talk about the Moon's orbit. It's not a perfect circle; it's an ellipse, like a slightly squashed circle. This means the Moon's distance from Earth varies throughout its orbit. The closest point in the orbit is called the perigee, and the farthest point is the apogee. And this is the part most people miss... these points aren't fixed! Due to the complex gravitational dance between the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, the distance of both the perigee and apogee changes over time. The perigee can range from about 356,355 kilometers (221,429 miles) to 370,399 kilometers (230,155 miles), while the apogee varies between roughly 404,042 kilometers (251,060 miles) and 406,725 kilometers (252,272 miles).
As the Moon makes its elliptical journey around our planet, the entire orbit itself slowly rotates. This means that sometimes a full moon happens near the perigee, creating a supermoon (like the dazzling spectacle we witnessed recently!). Other times, a full moon occurs near the apogee, resulting in what's called a micromoon – a full moon that appears smaller and dimmer. The new moon phase mirrors this pattern. When the full moon is at its farthest, the new moon is at its closest, and vice versa.
TimeAndDate reports that the new moon on November 20th will reach its most distant point for the next 18 years, clocking in at a whopping 406,681 kilometers (252,706 miles) away! According to Graham Jones of TimeAndDate, "The Moon reaches its farthest distance on November 20, 2025, around 02:46 UTC. This is about four hours before the moment of New Moon at 06:47 UTC."
For comparison, on December 1, 2043, the new moon will be a mere 406,699 kilometers (252,711 miles) away. This is still incredibly far, making it the third-farthest new moon of this century, after the 2043 event and the new moon of March 14, 2002, which reached 406,700 km (252,712 miles). But the absolute farthest new moon we'll see in the next 175 years occurs on February 3, 2125, when it will be a staggering 406,709 km (252,717 miles) away!
But here's where it gets controversial... While this new moon might be the farthest we'll see for nearly two decades, there's an interesting twist: you could actually be farther from the Moon than anyone else, right here on Earth! How? By traveling to the spot on Earth that's directly opposite the Moon in the sky! If you happened to be sailing in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 1,500 km (930 miles) south-east of Bermuda, during the farthest new moon, you'd hold the record for being the most distant person from our lunar neighbor.
“Given that the Earth has a radius of approximately 6,371 km (3,959 miles), while the Moon has a radius of about 1,737 km (1,079 miles), the distance from Western Australia to the surface of the Moon will be more like 398,600 km (247,700 miles),” Jones explained. “The point opposite Western Australia on the globe is in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 1,500 km (930 miles) south-east of Bermuda. This will be the farthest point of all from the Moon: The distance from Bermuda to the Moon’s surface will be 411,300 km (255,600 miles) or so.”
And while no full moons this century will quite match the distance of these farthest new moons, keep an eye out for January 27, 2032. This will be the date of the farthest full moon (micromoon) for the remaining 75 years of this century – a micromoon for the ages! So, will you be looking up at the sky on November 20th, contemplating the immense distance of our lunar neighbor? Or are you more interested in booking a cruise to Bermuda to claim the title of "farthest person from the Moon"? Let us know in the comments below!
