SIZE IN SPACE

Explore the scale of the cosmos

Earth vs the Moon

A familiar pair, seen with fresh eyes.

One scale. Two worlds.True diameter scale
Earth and Moon to scaleTheir diameters differ by a factor of 3.667. 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

3.667× 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.

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

How we measure size →

How big is the Moon compared with Earth?

The Moon’s diameter is a little over one quarter of Earth’s mean diameter. In the scene both disks remain visible, making this a useful first comparison before exploring larger differences.

Make a miniature pair

If Earth is a 2 cm marble, the Moon is about 5.5 mm across. That describes the sizes alone. Their real separation is not represented by the gap in the scene.

One ratio, two perspectives

Swap the objects to make the Moon your marble-sized reference. The physical ratio stays the same, but the miniature Earth grows to match your new starting point.

Measurements behind this comparison

See the Earth object guide and Moon object guide for the values, definitions, and original sources.