Knowledge of the universe and other living beings was known thousands of years ago.

In most cases, we cannot perceive other living beings or the planetary atmosphere they live on because of the "subtle material realm or dimension" they are in, not visible to our "gross material senses" or its extention's made from also gross material instruments like spacecrafts, telescopes and all telecommunications (radio waves).

There are different dimensional realities all around us, on the Moon that "subtle" world is called Chandraloka but not perceived by visiting astronauts and their spacecrafts, all they perceive is the gross Moon we also see in the sky. 

To enter Chandraloka you must have a suitable material "subtle" bodily vessel, our present biological "gross" material body cannot perceive subtle matter because this understanding has not yet been scientically proven. 

As said above, subtle matter and the individual jiva-soul covered only in a "subtle material body," cannot be perceived with by our "gross material body," or its extentions like spacecrafts, telescopes, microscopes, radar, television and radio waves.

This is why the Yamadutas, who are servants of the Lord of death known as Yamarāja, are not seen when they come to collect an individual jiva-soul housed in the subtle body, passes from the gross material body (called death). Technically, as chapter 2 of Bhagavad Gita As It Is explains, there is no death, only the changing of material bodily vessels.  

Proving subtle matter exists is hard to do, and not possible by using the material gross senses of our material biological body, or with gross matter implements in the form of spacecrafts, telescopes, radio waves, satellites etc. 

According to the Surya Siddhanta, an ancient Sanskrit astronomical text, the Moon is approximately 51,600 yojanas away from the Earth, this distance coverts approximately to 253,000 to 258,000 miles.

This distance is estimated to be roughly 108 times the diameter of the Moon, with some calculations interpreting the distance as approximately 375,192 km or approximately 233,000 miles which is correct according to modern scientists.

This means the Moon is not deep in outer space and further away from Earth than the Sun therefore, it will not take 7 months to get to the Moon as Srila Prabhupada claims in Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 8. 

"In the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 8.10.38, Srila Prabhupāda has stated that at a speed of 18,000 miles per hour, it would take roughly seven months to reach the moon." 

This questionable material view point by Srila Prabhupada needs to be carefully understood because Prabhupada's spiritual teachings are perfect.

Sadaputa Prabhu PhD has explained the Moon is 230,000 mile from Earth and is reached in 2 or 3 days, not 7 months which is incorrect, as proven by so many nations like Russia, United States, China, India, Japan, European Union etc, who have all sent spacecraft to the Moon. 

There is an Indian Astronaut who is a member of this page and he told me Prabhupada's comments in the 8th Canto about how long it takes to reach the Moon is incorrect, quoting him does not make it true. 

The proof is overwhelming that it takes only a few days to reach the Moon as presently being achieved by Artemis 11 mission that left earth yesterday (2 April 2026) to circle the Moon with 4 Astronauts on board, not 7 months as Prabhupada claims in Srimad Bhagavatam.

I have been a devotee since 1970 (56 years) and saw how devotees back then (most have passed now) were so young and immature, who ignorantly and sentimentally followed due to their attachment to blindly follow Srila Prabhupada without proper questioning with inquiries. 

It was not a spiritual healthy atmosphere in the 1970s due to nearly all of us being in our 20s. 

In his room Srila Prabhupada told us he did not know everything about the material universe and told Tamal Krsna Maharaj to seek out a southern Indian Brahman who could help us understand. 

Sadly, no one qualified was found so he ordered Sadaputa dasa in 1976 to find a copy of Surya Siddhanta to help us all understand, that book by his Spiritual Master Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Thakura Mahārāja, was not available to our Srila Prabhupada in the mid 1970s. 

In Surya Siddhanta it contradicts Srila Prabhupada's comments that it would take 7 months to reach the moon claiming the Moon was only 250 thousand miles from earth, close to today's scientific view of 230 thousand miles from Earth.

So, according to the Surya Siddhanta, an ancient Sanskrit astronomical text, the Moon is approximately 51,600 yojanas away from the Earth. 

This distance is estimated to be roughly 108 times the diameter of the Moon, with some calculations interpreting the distance as approximately 375,192 km or approximately 233,000 miles.<^>.