EAS-134
Is Earth Unique?
Fundamentals
- 2
2a. Sizes of Things (approximate)
|
Thing |
Size |
Size in m |
|
Planck length (theoretical quantum limit) |
10-33
cm |
10-35
|
|
quark |
|
10-16
|
|
single proton |
|
10-15
|
|
carbon nucleus (smallest measureable) |
|
10-14
|
|
carbon atom (distance to outer electron) |
1
Angstrom (Å) = 0.1 nm |
10-10
|
|
DNA strands in leaf nucleus |
10
nanometer (nm) |
10-8 |
|
wavelength of visible light |
0.5
micrometers |
5
x 10-7 |
|
nucleus of leaf cell |
1
micron (micrometer) |
10-6 |
|
oak cells (thickness of human hair) |
100
microns |
10-4 |
|
oak leaf |
3
inches |
10-1
|
|
human being |
6 ft |
2 |
|
radius of Earth |
6371
km |
6
x 106 |
|
circumference of the Earth |
40
000 km (25 000 miles) |
4
x 107 |
|
distance Earth to Moon |
250
000 miles |
4
x 108 |
|
distance Earth to Sun |
93
million miles (8 light min) |
1.5
x 1011 |
|
distance Sun to maximum distance of Pluto |
4.6
billion miles (7 light hr) |
7
x 1012 |
|
distance Sun to outer part of Oort comets |
3
light days |
8
x 1013 |
|
distance light travels in 1 year |
6.2
trillion miles (1 ly) |
1016
|
|
distance Earth to nearest star |
4.3
ly |
4
x 1016 |
|
diameter of our galaxy |
100
000 ly |
1021
|
|
diameter of local group of galaxies |
1
million ly |
1022
|
|
distance to Andromeda galaxy (nearest
spiral) |
2.2
million ly |
2
x 1022 |
|
diameter of a cluster of galaxies |
35
million ly |
3.5
x 1023 |
|
distance to Cygnus A (strong radio galaxy) |
500
million ly |
5
x 1024 |
|
distance to quasars |
15
billion ly |
1.5
x 1026 |
2b. Conversions
|
|
1.6
km |
1
mile |
|
speed of light c |
3.0
x 108 m/s |
186
000 miles/sec |
|
1 light min |
1.8
x 1010 m |
11
million miles |
|
1 light hr |
1.1
x 1012 m |
600
million miles |
|
1 light day |
2.6
x 1013 m |
16
billion miles |
|
1 light month |
7.9
x 1014 m |
500
billion miles |