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How Far Away Is the Moon?

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Summary

Areas of Science
Astronomy
Difficulty
Method
Scientific Method
Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Credits
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Abstract

Let's suppose you can take advantage of the Internet and get a 'pen pal' located a 1000 miles away in another city. On the same night, and at EXACTLY the same time 'Universal Time', make a CAREFUL observation of where the Moon is located with respect to the background stars. You should be able to discern a slight (about 1/2 the Moon's diameter) shift in position due to parallax. Then, with a little geometry, you could estimate the distance of the Moon during the full lunar cycle (Odenwald, 1997). For another method of measuring the distance to the Moon, see Why Does the Moon Appear Larger at Some Times?

Bibliography

Odenwald, S., 1997. "Questions and Answers." Ask the Astronomer, Astronomy Cafe website. Retrieved March 6, 2018, from http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q2077.html.
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Careers

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Mathematician
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Mathematicians are part of an ancient tradition of searching for patterns, conjecturing, and figuring out truths based on rigorous deduction. Some mathematicians focus on purely theoretical problems, with no obvious or immediate applications, except to advance our understanding of mathematics, while others focus on applied mathematics, where they try to solve problems in economics, business, science, physics, or engineering. Read more
Astronomer
Career Profile
Astronomers think big! They want to understand the entire universe—the nature of the Sun, Moon, planets, stars, galaxies, and everything in between. An astronomer's work can be pure science—gathering and analyzing data from instruments and creating theories about the nature of cosmic objects—or the work can be applied to practical problems in space flight and navigation, or satellite communications. Read more

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General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "How Far Away Is the Moon?" Science Buddies, 23 Mar. 2018, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Astro_p028/astronomy/how-far-away-is-the-moon?from=sort_choice. Accessed 9 June 2026.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2018, March 23). How Far Away Is the Moon? Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Astro_p028/astronomy/how-far-away-is-the-moon?from=sort_choice


Last edit date: 2018-03-23

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