This Month's New Moon Will Be The Farthest From Earth For The Next 18 Years

Whenever there is a supermoon, a closer-than-average full Moon, there is also a new Moon that is farther than average. But the coming new Moon will not be just a little farther than average – it'll be the farthest it will be for the next decade and more.

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The orbit of the Moon around the Earth is elliptical. The closest point is the perigee, and the farthest point is the apogee. Due to the gravitational forces, the distance of those points from the Earth varies. The perigee can be between 356,355 to 370,399 kilometers (221,429 to 230,155 miles), and the apogee varies between 404,042 to 406,725 kilometers (251,060 to 252,272 miles).

As the Moon orbits around the Earth, the orbit also rotates, so sometimes the full Moon happens near the perigee (like last Tuesday’s supermoon) and sometimes it happens at apogee (the so-called micromoon). The opposite lunar phase to a full Moon is a new Moon, and the pattern is the same but mirrored. As reported by TimeAndDate, the new Moon on November 20 will be the most distant one for the next 18 years, happening when the Moon is 406,681 kilometers (252,706 miles) away.

“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,” TimeAndDate’s Graham Jones wrote.

On December 1, 2043, the new Moon will happen in 406,699 kilometers (252,711 miles). This is year it will be the third farthest for this century, after the 2043 one and the new Moon of March 14, 2002, at 406,700 km (252,712 miles). The actual farthest over the next 175 years is actually in slightly less than a century: on February 3, 2125, the new Moon will be 406,709 km (252,717 miles) away.

Now, if you have a boat and fancy traveling across the Atlantic, there's a chance you could have the singular record of knowing you are the farthest person from the Moon. You just need to sail to the antipodes of Australia.

“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.”

None of the full Moons this century will get quite as far, but the farthest one for the remaining 75 years is coming up on January 27, 2032. A micromoon for the ages.