Sun, Earth, and Moon Model

by Lou Loftin

  • The Earth is on average 149,600,000 kilometers from the Sun.
  • The Moon is on average 384,400 kilometers from Earth.
  • The diameter of the Sun is about 1,390,180 kilometers.
  • The diameter of the Earth is about 12,756 kilometers.
  • The diameter of the Moon is about 3,476 kilometers.

Make a scale where 150,000,000 km = 100 meters
The breakdown of the scale should look like this:
150,000,000 km = 100 m
15,000,000 km = 10 m
1,500,000 km = 1 m
150,000 km = .1 m or 1 decimeter (dm)
15,000 km = .01 m or 1 centimeter (cm)
1,500 km = .001 m or 1 millimeter (mm)

Using the scale make a model of the Sun, Earth, and Moon in their approximate size and locations from each other. (Measurements are approximated to fit easily into the scale)

  • The Sun’s diameter could be approximated to 1,500,000 km making it 1 m in size.
  • The Earth’s diameter could be approximated to 15,000 km making it 1 cm in size.
  • The Moon’s diameter could be approximated to 3,000 km making it 2 mm in size.
  • The distance from the Sun to the Earth could be approximated to 150,000,000 km making it 100 m from Sun to Earth in the model.
  • The distance from Earth to the Moon could be approximated to 400,000 km making it about 2.5 dm from Earth to the Moon in the model.