Return to my Astronomy page.

This page will create a scale model of the Solar system, based on a series of preset Sun sizes.

The sun may be selected from five different options:

  • A Sun the size of a 10 inch Basketball" which will create a solar system based on a 10 sun, or
  • A Sun the size of a 24 inch Beach ball" which will create a solar system based on a 24 sun, or
  • A Sun the size of a 6 foot Weather Balloon" will create a solar system based on a 72 sun, or
  • A Sun the size of a Hot Air Balloon 40 feet in diameter, or
  • A Sun the size of the University of Maine 50 ft. Ball Model.

The results will be the "Size in Inches" of each of the planets, and the "Distance in Feet" and miles from the sun.

Step 1: Select Measurement Units, Standard (default) or Metric:
Step 2: Select the Sun size
Step 3:Press "Calculate", and think about the results.  
Object * Dist. (AU) Diam. (KM) Diam. (Mi) Planet Size
in		 Planet Dist.
in		 Planet Dist.
in
 
Sun   1,390,000 863,705.96    
Mercury 0.3871 4,879 3,031.67
Venus 0.7233 12,103 7,520.46
Earth 1 12,756 7,926.21
Mars 1.52 6,794 4,221.60
Jupiter 5.2 142,984 88,846.14
Saturn 9.53 120,536 74,897.60
Uranus 19.18 51,118 31,763.25
Neptune 30.06 55,528 34,503.50
Pluto 39.44 2,390 1,485.08

And just to make things even smaller:

Closest Star Name Dist (AU) Star Dist. in MILES Star Dist. in KMs
Alpha Centauri 278,256

As you look at the results of these calculations, you should come to realize that our Solar System is just a small part of much larger and very empty Universe.

* All planetary data derived from information obtained from the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab - the folks who should know!

If you want more information, e-mail the author at:

 email button