January 8, 2023
The Moon reached apogee early this morning at approximately 3 am CST. Apogee refers to the furthest point from Earth in the Moon’s orbit. At this point, the Moon is approximately 252,458 miles (406,458 km) away. Although the moon is farther away than its average distance of 238,900 miles (384,472 km), the visual difference is minimal, and often cannot be detected with the naked eye.
8
The size visual difference between the moon at perigee and apogee is difficult to discern with just your eye. When two relative images are placed next to each other, it is possible to see the difference. Image credit: NASA