The Incredible Two-Inch Universe: Step 3
846 views · Published 30 May 2008 · 6:08 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: Chandra X-ray Observatory · 2008 · Science & Technology
Note: Print out the instructions and cut-out templates (see http://chandra.harvard.edu/resources/podcasts/2inch/ for the printer-friendly PDFs). Now let's shrink the entire Solar System down to 2 inches in diameter:(Planet sizes and orbits on 2-inch image are NOT to scale!) Size of Sun - Microscopic at this scale, a shining speck at the center of the image Sun-Earth Distance - 1/2 mm - Earth orbits very close to the center of the Solar System Pluto's Orbit - Around the edge of the 2-inch Solar System image Nearest Star to Sun - 2 soccer fields away Nearby Star Discovered to Have Orbiting Planets - 5 soccer fields away. Two planets have been discovered around the star Epsilon Eridani, which is visible from the southern hemisphere. Our Milky Way Galaxy - Size of North America. At this scale, our 2-inch Solar System is part of a continent-sized system of 200 billion shining speck stars. These stars, spread 30 miles (50 km) high, are generally separated from each other by more than 2 soccer fields. Light Travel Time - It takes about 10 hours for a beam of light to cross the Solar System and years for light to travel between stars.
