The Sun has a diameter of about 1,400,000 kilometers. Based on the scale established earlier, how tall do you think a sphere that represents the Sun would be? What would a real-world example of this measurement be?
Answers
Earth/Moon System Scaled to 16-inch Earth
Parameter Real Distance/Size Scaled Distance/Size
----------------- ------------------- ---------------------
Earth (diameter) 12,756 km 16.0 inches
Moon (diameter) 3,476 km 4.4 inches
Moon (distance) 384,400 km 40.2 feet
Sun (diameter) 1,392,000 km 145.5 feet
Sun (distance) 150 million km 15,700 feet = nearly 3 miles!
Shuttle Orbit 350 km 0.4 inches above
(typical) beach ball (!)
Int'l Space Station 402 km 0.5 inches above
beach ball
Note: 1 km (kilometer) = 0.6 miles, and 1 inch = 2.54 cm (0.0254 meter)
if you want to convert any units.)