What is the biggest thing you have ever touched?

Hint: It can be wet or dry, hot or cold, and everybody you know has touched it, too.

What is it?

EXACTLY HOW BIG IS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM?

http://htwins.net/scale2/

PLANET DIAMETER
Planet Diameter (miles)
Mercury Mars Venus Earth Neptune Uranus Saturn Jupiter 3032 4221 7521 7926 30,775 31,763 74,897 88,846

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/planet_table_british.html

SO, A SCALE MODEL IS:

A model in which each part is exactly the same amount smaller or larger than the original.

CAN WE MAKE A SCALE MODEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM?

Planet
Rule 80,000,000
Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

Distance from Sun (km)

Scaled distance

Input
60 million (60,000,000) 108 million (108,000,000) 150 million (150,000,000) 228 million (228,000,000) 780 million (780,000,000) 1.4 billion (1,400,000,000) 2.9 billion (2,900,000,000) 5 billion (5,000,000,000)

Output
.75 cm 1.5 cm 2 cm 3 cm 10 cm 18 cm 36 cm 60 cm

LETS ADD THE PLANETS

Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Purple Nerd Orange Jelly Bean Blue Jelly Bean Pink Nerd Large Marshmallow Cheese ball

Uranus Neptune

Small marshmallow Small marshmallow

A VIRTUAL TOUR OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

http://nineplanets.org/tour/