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Planets scale distance

Updated: 4/28/2022
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The relative distances of the planets from the Sun can be expressed as average orbital distance in millions of miles (millions of kilometers). But they can also be expressed as multiples of a known distance, the average radius of Earth's orbit. This is called an AU (Astronomical Unit), roughly equal to 93 million miles (150 million km). Here are the average distances from the Sun as expressed in AU : * Mercury - 0.39 AU * Venus - 0.72 AU * Earth - 1 AU * Mars - 1.52 AU * Jupiter - 5.2 AU * Saturn - 9.6 AU * Uranus - 19.2 AU * Neptune - 30.1 AU * dwarf planet Pluto - 29.6 to 49.3 AU (elliptical within Neptune's orbit)

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Q: Planets scale distance
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Related questions

Why is it important to astronomers to be able to draw a scale model of the solar system?

so that they know the distance of the planets


This drawing is to scale it shows the distance between the planets than they actually are?

There needs to be a drawing before an answer can be given.


Why would it be wrong to use the same scale to show both the relative size of planets and their distance from the sun?

The distances of the planets to the Sun are far greater than the sizes of the planets. For example: the Earth is about 12,000 km in diameter, but its distance to the Sun is 149,600,000 km.


What is the definition for a distance scale?

a scale that tells the distance


How do you scale down the distance between planets?

Scaling down the distance between planets is not feasible. The distances between planets in our solar system are vast, and scaling them down would require compressing the entire solar system. Additionally, altering the distances between planets would disrupt the delicate gravitational balance and have catastrophic consequences for the solar system as a whole.


Think about plotting the distances as points on a number line where 0 represents the position of the Sun. what is one challenge of modeling the distances of inner and outer planets using the same scale?

The distance between an inner planet and the Sun is small compared with the distance between an outer planet and the Sun. If inner and outer planets are drawn to the same scale on a number line, the inner planets will bunch near zero (the Sun’s position) and might appear on top of one another.


How would you measure a distance on the map that is longer than the scale bar?

Multiply distance by the scale bar


How would scientists learn about Saturn being over a million miles away from earth?

They can scale the planets' relative distances from Kepler's laws. The absolute distance to Venus can be measured by its parallax seen from different places on the Earth's surface simultaneously. From those measurements the distance to Saturn and all the other planets can be calculated.


How would you measure a distance on the map that is longer than the scale?

Multiply distance by the scale bar


What is a tool that shows a relationship distance on a map and actual distance?

Scale


What is the key on the map that tells distance on a map?

This is known as the scale.


How would you measure a distance on the map that is longer the scale bar?

Multiply distance by the scale bar