Powers of Ten and Size of the Solar System
If the solar system was a vegetable garden…
The Solar System = More about the distance scale of the local universe
Consider the solar system as a vegetable garden.
If the sun were the size of a large pumpkin in your backyard,
then the Earth would be about the size of a pea located over half a city block away.
On this scale, Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system – would be the size of a mandarin orange, located more than three blocks from the pumpkin.
Pluto would be size of an apple seed over three kilometers from your yard.
If the solar system were a vegetable garden, it would make for a rather slim harvest indeed.
If one continues the analogy for distances beyond the solar system, our cosmic garden becomes sparser still, for one must journey 18 thousand kilometers before encountering the next vegetable — the nearest star — a red cabbage.
Originally inspired by Keith Janke, Member of the R.A.S.C. Edmonton Centre, Re-printed for the Edmonton Observatory (Used with permission) Copyright free images drawn for this chapter by Jennifer Lusuengo. Thanks to BCcampus for providing the grant for these images.