When you see the Moon in the sky, it’s hard to estimate how big the Moon really is. Earth’s moon is the brightest object in our night sky. So, how big is the moon compared to Earth?
Earth’s only natural satellite is simply called “the Moon” because people didn’t know other moons existed until Galileo Galilei discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610.
The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite and it’s farther away from Earth than most people realize. The Moon is an average of 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) away. That means 30 Earth-sized planets could fit in between Earth and the Moon!
Our moon is the fifth largest of the 190+ moons orbiting planets in our solar system. The diameter of the Moon is approximately 3,475 km. The diameter of the Earth is 12,742 km. This means that the Moon is approximately 27% (one fourth) the size of the Earth!
Source: nasa.gov