4 ms·

This is mind blowing. Who would have thought the Moon was so far away?

• userbinator 3y ago
  Alternatively, this shows just how far the planets actually are from each other, relative to their diameters. Look for articles about "scale model of solar system" for some more interesting reading, e.g.: https://www2.tntech.edu/leap/astr1010/sssm.html https://www2.tntech.edu/leap/astr1010/sssm.html
  • dkpk 3y ago
    This is really interesting. Thanks for sharing!
    • masklinn 3y ago
      https://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.html https://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.... is a hilarious linear scale model of the solar system (scale is that the moon is 1px). Do be warned that for some people scale model of such scales trigger existential dread.
      • dkpk 3y ago
        Woah, this is mind blowing!
      • em-bee 3y ago
        would be nice to also add the largest recognized dwarf planets, even though they are half the size of the moon.
  • froh 3y ago
    some places also offer interplanetary hikes to scale this one is 1:310^9, and it has feel-the-gravity weights for the planets, too: https://sfeu.de/planetenweg/index.html https://sfeu.de/planetenweg/index.html what I personally found mind blowing was insight into earth at scale. if you go for 1mm==10km then earth has 4m equatorial circumference, 1.28m diameter. bat that scale, Mt Everest is .8mm, the Mariana trench is 1.1mm and the distance from Nuremberg where I live to Erlangen "next door" is 1.6mm, and Germany is the size of my hand, and.big enough to have visible curvature. the outer 60km, that is 6mm at this scale, are solid, then it's dough, some places even pudding or outright liquid. the crust is* an eggshell, swimming on the inside of earth. breathable atmosphere is just a teensy thin .5mm layer, overall it's 2mm. such a model should be in every school, to me it's a deeply humbling experience, reminding me of the fragility of our habitat.
  • ncruces 3y ago
    Like Sweden? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_Solar_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_Solar_System
• extraduder_ire 3y ago
  Next time you see the moon, cover it over with your thumb or index finger extended to arms length. The angular diameter of the moon (and sun, for that matter) are really tiny. Your brain just imagines that you see it closer/bigger when looking at it, especially if it's near the horizon/through branches/other things on the ground. This effect gets more pronounced the longer you stare at it. I think this is why it's so hard to get a picture of the moon that looks like how you see it, unless you use an impractically long lens.
  • avgcorrection 3y ago
    It also is perceived as being bigger when you shoot it with a sniper rifle because of the Marksman Target Salience Effect.
    • p3rls 3y ago
      Lazy god dev.
      • almostnormal 3y ago
        A GTA reference. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38371361 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38371361
        • dkpk 3y ago
          Haha, nice one.
      • peterpost2 3y ago
        We really need some bugfixes to tidy up this place.
        • qbrass 3y ago
          It's not a bug, it's a feature.
• mewpmewp2 3y ago
  Sarcasm?