What specific physical principle is used today to measure the distance to the Moon with centimeter accuracy?
Answer
Lasers reflected off special mirrors left by the Apollo missions
Achieving extremely high precision in measuring relatively short astronomical distances provides a vital benchmark for validating methods used at greater scales. For the distance between the Earth and the Moon, the current state-of-the-art measurement involves firing powerful lasers toward specific, specialized mirrors that were deposited on the lunar surface by the Apollo missions. By timing the return of these laser pulses with extreme accuracy, astronomers can calculate the distance with centimeter-level precision, demonstrating the high degree of ingenuity applied to measurement challenges.
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