ScaleTrip

Travel through scale.

How far is Earth from the Sun?

The average Earth–Sun distance is about 149.6 million kilometres, defined approximately by one astronomical unit. Earth's elliptical orbit makes the actual separation vary.

Earth–Sun distanceDistance · 149,600,000 km

Earth's average distance from the Sun: one astronomical unit.

About 389.2 × Earth–Moon distance
Earth–Moon distance · 384,400 km
Explored distance149,600,000 km

Bars: actual length ratio. Artwork: browsing size.

Explore the scale
149,600,000 km

Time at constant speed

Time = distance ÷ speed · Assumes no acceleration or stops.

A constant-speed calculation for comparing distance scales. Ground-vehicle times through planetary interiors or space are mathematical comparisons; real space travel requires orbital dynamics and changing velocity.

Objects move along logarithmic spacing, while size is compressed from the real ratio to remain legible.

Artwork and diagram notes

Object, landmark, planet and cosmic-scale artwork is original AI-generated imagery made for ScaleTrip. Maps use public-domain Natural Earth boundaries. Illustrations use logarithmic visual compression to keep objects recognizable; the numerical measurements retain their real values.

Earth becomes a tiny dot in a 1 m Earth–Sun model

A Solar System picture often enlarges the planets so you can see them. To understand the empty space, keep the same reduction for both the planets and their gaps.

Earth becomes a tiny dot in a 1 m Earth–Sun model — explanatory illustration, not a measurement image
An illustration for recognizing the subject. Read the adjacent diagram for the stated scale.
Earth becomes a tiny dot in a 1 m Earth–Sun modelA common-scale model: 1 m between Earth and Sun, Sun about 9.3 mm across, Earth about 0.085 mm across. The Earth is shown at its calculated size, not enlarged.1 m≈ 9.3 mm≈ 0.085 mm
A common-scale model: 1 m between Earth and Sun, Sun about 9.3 mm across, Earth about 0.085 mm across. The Earth is shown at its calculated size, not enlarged.

Work it out, one step at a time

  1. Compare Earth’s diameter with the gap

    12,742 ÷ 149,597,870.7 ≈ 0.0000852

    The diameter and distance must use the same unit: kilometres.

  2. Shrink the gap to 1,000 mm

    0.0000852 × 1,000 mm ≈ 0.085 mm

    A readable planet icon and a common-scale planet serve different purposes. Check the caption.

Words made simple

Astronomical unit (au)
An exactly defined length close to the average Earth–Sun separation.
Think about it: If the model gap is 10 m, does model Earth stay 0.085 mm wide?

No. Every model length grows tenfold, so Earth becomes about 0.85 mm wide.

Where the numbers come from: NASA JPL · NIST SP 330. The illustration and worked model are made for this lesson; assumptions are stated above.

Build a scale modelChoose two references and change the model size.

Build a scale model of any two lengths

Choose from all 71 Macro and 54 Micro references, or enter your own length. Set B’s model length and see A change on the same fixed metre ruler. The bars represent the stated lengths, including their different measurement definitions.

Measurements and model scale
Length ratio A / B
1.3826×
Model length B
10 cm
Calculated model length A
13.826 cm
AB01 m2 m
Fixed scale: 1 m uses 250 drawing units. Moving the model-size slider changes the bar lengths, while the real measurements stay fixed.
AB
Full ratio view: the longer length fills the width. Sub-pixel lengths retain their computed width; read the numerical ratio for very different scales.

A · Earth–Sun distance

1.496e+11 m

Rounded 1 au comparison length: 149,597,870,700 m becomes 149,600,000,000 m.

Calculated from a sourced value

The au is an exact unit; this rounded comparison is approximate. Date-specific Earth–Sun separation varies.

Definition and evidence reviewOriginal source

B · Venus orbit

1.082e+11 m

J2000 orbital semimajor axis: 0.72333566 au × 149,597,870.7 km/au, rounded to 4 significant digits.

Calculated from a sourced value

An approximate heliocentric orbital scale, not today’s separation from Earth or a planet radius. The source model has a stated validity interval.

Definition and evidence reviewOriginal source

model A = (A / B) × model B

This calculator uses the existing journey comparison inputs. Review-pending or conceptual entries remain illustrative inputs here; the public reviewed dataset keeps their numeric values withheld. Radius, height, diameter and experimental bound keep their individual definitions.

Calculation method · Link to this comparison lab

km149,600,000
m149,600,000,000
mi92,957,130.3587

An exact unit and a changing separation

One astronomical unit is exactly 149,597,870.7 km. ScaleTrip's 149.6 million km input is rounded; Earth's instantaneous separation varies along its elliptical orbit. The unit has an exact definition while the orbital distance follows an ellipse.

Sunlight takes about eight minutes

Dividing the displayed distance by 299,792.458 km/s gives about 499 seconds, or 8 minutes 19 seconds one way in vacuum. A spacecraft journey also involves orbital motion and changing velocity, so a mission-duration forecast requires an orbital trajectory and velocity profile alongside the distance.

Closest ScaleTrip references

Page distance: 149,600,000 km

  1. Earth–Sun distanceReference measurement: Distance · 149,600,000 km
    Ratio (page distance ÷ reference): ≈ 1×

    Earth's average distance from the Sun: one astronomical unit.

  2. Venus orbitReference measurement: Distance · 108,200,000 km
    Ratio (page distance ÷ reference): ≈ 1.38×

    Venus's average orbital radius around the Sun.

  3. Mars orbitReference measurement: Distance · 227,900,000 km
    Ratio (page distance ÷ reference): ≈ 0.66×

    Mars's average orbital radius around the Sun.

Distance visualization

Reading the interval between two bodies

ScaleTrip compares the orbital separation and calculates uninterrupted travel times at several representative speeds.

Sun and Earth separated by a long fluorescent-green measurement line on a dark scientific grid
ScaleTrip explanatory artwork with visual compression for the calculated value.

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Sources for these values