The Moon has a diameter of about 2,159 miles (3,475 kilometers), which is roughly one-quarter (27%) the diameter of Earth. In terms of radius, the Moon's mean radius is approximately 1,079.6 miles (1,737.5 kilometers)
. To put it in perspective, the Moon's diameter is nearly the width of the contiguous United States. Its surface area is about 14.6 million square miles (38 million square kilometers), which is smaller than the total surface area of Asia but large enough to fit multiple continents like Europe, China, the U.S., Brazil, and South Africa combined
. The Moon is the fifth largest natural satellite in the Solar System and is larger than the dwarf planet Pluto. It is also comparable in size to Mercury, the smallest planet in the Solar System, which has a diameter of about 2,440 km
. In summary:
- Diameter: ~2,159 miles (3,475 km)
- Radius: ~1,080 miles (1,740 km)
- Surface area: ~38 million square km
- Size ratio: About 1/4 the diameter of Earth
- Rank: Fifth largest moon in the Solar System
This size makes the Moon significantly smaller than Earth but still quite large compared to other moons in the Solar System
