How to understand Srimad Bhagavatam's Canto 8 Chapter 10 text 38 that says the Moon is further away from Earth than the Sun is?

The explanations below after the Srimad Bhagavatam Purport, has avoided the fact that the many spacecrafts today in 2025 from multiple countries, visit the Moon with space probes, only take a few days to reach their. 

This contradicts Srimad Bhagavatam's claim it would take 7 months at present speeds of 18,000 miles an hour, for a spacecraft to reach the Moon.

Some modern scholars avoid these questions with many saying all Moon landings are a hoax and fake, which for many modern devotees is hard to blindly follow. 

Read for yourself and make your own intelligent conclusion.

Canto 8 Ch 10 text 38:

Srimad Bhagavatam - "Because of the impact on the ground of the legs of the demons and demigods and the wheels of the chariots, particles of dust flew violently into the sky and made a dust cloud that covered all directions of outer space, as far as the sun. But when the particles of dust were followed by drops of blood being sprinkled all over space, the dust cloud could no longer float in the sky." (Canto  8 Ch 10 text 38)

Srila Prabhupada's Purport - "The cloud of dust covered the entire horizon, but when drops of blood sprayed up as far as the sun, the dust cloud could no longer float in the sky. A point to be observed here is that although the blood is stated to have reached the sun, it is not said to have reached the moon. 

Apparently, therefore, as stated elsewhere in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the sun, not the moon, is the planet nearest the earth. We have already discussed this point in many places. The sun is first, then the moon, then Mars, Jupiter and so on. 

The sun is supposed to be 93,000,000 miles above the surface of the earth, and from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we understand that the moon is 1,600,000 miles above the sun. Therefore the distance between the earth and the moon would be about 95,000,000 miles. 

So if a space capsule were traveling at the speed of 18,000 miles per hour, how could it reach the moon in four days? At that speed, going to the moon would take at least seven months. That a space capsule on a moon excursion has reached the moon in four days is therefore impossible." (Canto 8 Ch 10 text 38 Purport)

Explanation: 

The Srimad Bhagavatam does not say the moon is further away from Earth than the sun; it describes a different cosmological model where the sun and moon exist on different vertical planes or "heights" above the Earth, not a simple horizontal distance. 

According to this view, the sun is at a lower elevation than the moon, meaning the sun's plane is considered "closer" to the Earth in that specific, vertical sense. 

This distinction is not a literal physical measurement but a part of a complex, multi-layered, and symbolic cosmology that is not meant to be understood with modern physics. 

Vertical vs. horizontal distance: 

The Bhagavatam's descriptions of celestial bodies refer to their position on different vertical planes, rather than simply horizontal distances as in modern astronomy.

Sun's plane vs. Moon's plane: 

The text describes the sun existing at a higher level than the Earth, but the moon exists at an even higher level than the sun. Therefore, in terms of vertical "height," the sun's plane is closer to the Earth's plane than the moon's.

Symbolic cosmology: 

The Bhagavatam's cosmology is not intended to be a literal, scientific description of the physical universe. Instead, it is a symbolic narrative that glorifies the Lord and presents a different understanding of reality, often related to spiritual hierarchy and consciousness.

No contradiction with eclipses: 

Some Vedic astronomers who adhere to the scripture's cosmology acknowledge that the astronomical calculations for eclipses in ancient texts like the Surya Siddhanta were accurate and consistent with modern science, suggesting the verses on celestial positions should not be interpreted literally.*.