SIZE IN SPACE

A little perspective

The universe puts things in perspective.

Put two worlds beside each other. Discover how big they really are—and how small the familiar can become.

One scale. Two worlds.True diameter scale
Earth and Jupiter to scaleTheir diameters differ by a factor of 10.973. Illustrations show body diameter, not separation in space.

Body diameters to scale. Positions and surface artwork are illustrative; Saturn’s rings are excluded.

A change of perspective

10.973× the diameter. See how the two worlds measure up.

Diameter is a distance across an object. Volume grows with the cube of that distance.

Choose a size to bring this comparison down to Earth.

Earth: Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

Jupiter: Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

How we measure size →

Start with something familiar. Then look beyond it.

Choose two objects, compare their true diameters, or shrink them to a scale you can hold in your hand. There is no finish line. Just another way to see our place in things.

Prefer a little guidance? Take five steps through the scale of space.

Follow your curiosity

A few places to begin

All objects ↗

From a small world to a giant star

Meet the objects

14 perspectives

Directory illustrations are not to scale. Open an object to compare its actual diameter.