3 ms·

I hadn’t appreciated that Saturn is almost twice as far from the Sun as Jupiter is, or how far out Uranus and Neptune are. Here’s another representation (althou

I hadn’t appreciated that Saturn is almost twice as far from the Sun as Jupiter is, or how far out Uranus and Neptune are. Here’s another representation (although obviously the planet sizes are way wrong): https://fineartamerica.com/featured/solar-system-distances-to-scale-mark-garlick.html https://fineartamerica.com/featured/solar-system-distances-t...

SamBam 6y ago
The spacing of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune actually seem quite natural in that image. It's the cluster of tiny rocks near the sun that distorts our perception!
ggaughan 6y ago
I think there's an under-appreciated pattern to the distances: https://wordloosed.com/the-planets https://wordloosed.com/the-planets
AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago
We have something similar here in my home town, at a smaller scale [0], along local bike paths. You get from the sun to Mars in what seems like no time at all, but the distance from Neptune to Pluto is a little over 2/5ths of the entire ride. [0] 200M:1 http://www.spaceplace.wisc.edu/planettrek.htm http://www.spaceplace.wisc.edu/planettrek.htm
arethuza 6y ago
"If the Moon were only 1 Pixel" gives a good sensation of the distances through the medium of scrolling: https://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.html https://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.... Edit: Notice the option to travel at lightspeed.... this isn't quite as exciting as you might think.
- lovecg 6y ago
  Except if you could really approach lightspeed the distances would approach zero, so there’s that.
  - arethuza 6y ago
    Time dilation as well, which probably helps ;-)
- marshmallow_12 6y ago
  wow. you get a lot more respect for gravity after seeing that. basically, in empty space, i could exert an influence on a bottlecap 10,000 miles away. or something like that, the numbers are entirely irrelevant.
horsburgh 6y ago
New Zealand has one too: https://www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz/ride/an-interplanetary-ride/ https://www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz/ride/an-interplaneta... It's hundred million to one, so the scale speed of light is a little under 3 m/s (10.8 kmh). So at a very comfortable cycling speed you're moving at twice the speed of light. Exactly as AnIdiotOnTheNet says you get through the inner planets in no time flat but it takes forever to get through the outer ones.

SamBam 6y ago

The spacing of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune actually seem quite natural in that image. It's the cluster of tiny rocks near the sun that distorts our perception!

ggaughan 6y ago

I think there's an under-appreciated pattern to the distances: https://wordloosed.com/the-planets https://wordloosed.com/the-planets

AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago

We have something similar here in my home town, at a smaller scale [0], along local bike paths. You get from the sun to Mars in what seems like no time at all, but the distance from Neptune to Pluto is a little over 2/5ths of the entire ride. [0] 200M:1 http://www.spaceplace.wisc.edu/planettrek.htm http://www.spaceplace.wisc.edu/planettrek.htm

arethuza 6y ago

"If the Moon were only 1 Pixel" gives a good sensation of the distances through the medium of scrolling: https://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.html https://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.... Edit: Notice the option to travel at lightspeed.... this isn't quite as exciting as you might think.

lovecg 6y ago
Except if you could really approach lightspeed the distances would approach zero, so there’s that.
- arethuza 6y ago
  Time dilation as well, which probably helps ;-)
marshmallow_12 6y ago
wow. you get a lot more respect for gravity after seeing that. basically, in empty space, i could exert an influence on a bottlecap 10,000 miles away. or something like that, the numbers are entirely irrelevant.

horsburgh 6y ago

New Zealand has one too: https://www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz/ride/an-interplanetary-ride/ https://www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz/ride/an-interplaneta... It's hundred million to one, so the scale speed of light is a little under 3 m/s (10.8 kmh). So at a very comfortable cycling speed you're moving at twice the speed of light. Exactly as AnIdiotOnTheNet says you get through the inner planets in no time flat but it takes forever to get through the outer ones.