Does the Moon change size?

 

Does the Moon change size?

It may appear this way, but the Moon itself never changes size.

To us here on planet Earth, our perspective can change as the Moon orbits around us, making it seem like it can change size.

Micro Moon.

The first of these is called a Micro Moon. 

A Micro Moon is when the Moon is at its furthest point from Earth.

This means that when we look up at the night sky, we think it may have shrunk, but it’s just further away than usual.

This usually only occurs when the Moon is at the Full Moon or New Moon phase.

The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical path, which means that one side of the orbital path is closer.

The Micro Moon occurs when the Moon is 251,655 miles (405,000 kilometers) away from Earth’s center.

Super Moon.

A Super Moon occurs when the moon is at its Full or New Moon phase and is on the closest part of its orbital path to Earth.

The Moon is at its stage in its journey where it is in the closest position to Earth, being 223,694 miles (360,000 kilometers) from the center of Earth.

 

So overall, you can see that we have many different types of Moon, which vary in shape and color due to the surroundings and our Moon’s position in its orbit around Earth.

But ultimately, we only have ONE Moon that orbits Earth; it’s just our perspective that makes it appear different.