Q&A

Q:How long does it take the Moon to orbit the Earth?
A:The Moon takes about 27 days (27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, 11.6 seconds) to go all the way around the Earth and return to its starting position.The Moon's orbit around the Earth is a slightly squashed circle called an ellipse

Q:What is a Lunar Month?
A: A lunar month is the time the moon takes to pass through a complete cycle of its phases and is measured from to New Moon. A lunar month is about 29.5 days (29 days, 12 hours, 43 minutes, 11.6 seconds)

Q:Why is a Lunar month (29.5 days) longer than the number of days it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth (27.3)?
A:Whilst the Moon is orbiting the Earth, the Earth is constantly moving because it is orbiting the sun. The Moon therefore travels slightly more than 360° to get from one new moon to the next. Thus the lunar month is longer.

Q:How old is the Moon?
A:The Moon is 4.5 billion years old

Q:Which direction does the Moon travel around the Earth?
A:Looking down from the north pole we would see the Moon orbiting counterclockwise from west to east.