The moon is moving away from us. Each year, the moon steals some of Earth's rotational energy and uses it to propel itself about 3.8 centimeters (1.5 inches) higher in its orbit. Researchers say that when it first formed, the moon was about 23,000 kilometers (14,000 miles) from Earth. It's now more than 450,000 kilometers (280,000 miles) away.