What is the furthest distance you can be on Earth?

Exploring Earth’s Extreme Distances

Earth is not a perfect sphere but instead has an equatorial bulge. This means that the distance from the center of Earth to its surface is not the same at all points. The greatest distance is found along the equator, where the Earth’s radius stretches to 6,378.1 kilometers.

The equatorial bulge is a result of the Earth’s rotation. As the Earth spins, the centrifugal force generated causes the material at the equator to be pulled outward, creating a slight bulge. This bulge means that the distance from the center of Earth to the surface at the equator is about 21 kilometers greater than the distance from the center to the surface at the poles.

The theoretical furthest distance that one can be on Earth is determined by adding the Earth’s radius at the equator to the height of the equatorial bulge. This results in a maximum distance of 12,756.2 kilometers. However, it is important to note that this is a theoretical maximum and that it is not possible to reach this distance in practice.

The deepest point on Earth is the Mariana Trench, which has a depth of 11,034 meters. This means that the furthest distance one can realistically be from the center of Earth is around 12,745 kilometers. However, even this distance is difficult to achieve, as the Mariana Trench is extremely difficult to access.

The furthest distance that a human has ever been from the center of Earth was achieved by astronaut James Lovell during the Apollo 13 mission. Lovell was located 400,171 kilometers from the center of Earth at the mission’s furthest point. This record is unlikely to be broken anytime soon, as there are currently no plans for any manned missions to travel beyond the Moon.