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Solar System Astronomy

If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel [The most accurate map of the Solar System]

The Solar System is vast and complex, encompassing countless celestial bodies such as planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. To visualize the vastness of our cosmic neighborhood, we often use maps and models that represent the planets and their orbits in a scaled-down form. However, even the most detailed models can fail to convey the true scale of the Solar System. One intriguing way to explore the scale of our cosmic surroundings is to imagine if the Moon were only one pixel in diameter on a map. This thought experiment can help us appreciate the sheer enormity of the distances and sizes involved in our Solar System.

If the Moon were only 1 pixel in diameter on a map, what would be the scale of the Solar System? Artist and designer Josh Worth has created a great web page that actually answers this question – a tediously accurate map of the Solar System. He scaled the Moon to only one pixel (the radius of the Moon is 1,737 km / 1079.322 mi) and put the planets and other astronomical bodies such as the Kuiper Belt objects accordingly.

Since the human brain cannot deal with really large numbers, it is a good way to understand how big is our Solar System actually (it is really big!).

Click on the image below to see the animation. And get ready to scroll a lot, because most of the space is just… space.

If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel - A tediously accurate map of the Solar System
Artist and designer Josh Worth has created a great web page that is actually a scaled model of our solar system. He scaled the Moon to only one pixel (the radius of the Moon is 1,737 km / 1079.322 miles) and put the planets and other objects like the Kuiper Belt accordingly.

While scrolling, you’ll go faster than light, but it’ll be like the solar system never ends. That’s how big the space is. As the English author Douglas Adams pointed out:

“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.”

If the moon were only 1 pixel in diameter: Earth and Moon
If the moon were only 1 pixel in diameter, the Earth’s diameter would be only 3.66 pixels (The diameter of the Earth is 12,742 km / 7917.5 miles, and the diameter of the Moon is 3,474.8 km / 2,160 miles). Note that the distance between Earth and the Moon is much greater than most people think.
Jupiter and its moons
If the moon were only 1 pixel in diameter, the largest planet in the Solar System, Jupiter‘s diameter would be about 40 pixels (The diameter of Jupiter is 139,820 km / 86,880 miles, and the diameter of the Moon is 3,474.8 km / 2,160 miles). Ganymede, the largest and most massive of the Solar System’s moons would be 1.5 pixels in diameter (Ganymede’s real diameter is 5,268.2 km / 3,273.5 miles).

Sources

M. Özgür Nevres
Özgür Nevres

By M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer and a science enthusiast. I was graduated from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Computer Engineering. In the past, I worked at the Istanbul Technical University Science Center as a science instructor. I write about the planet Earth and science on this website, ourplnt.com. I am also an animal lover! I take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

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