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Relative Scale of the Solar System for a “Spacebike” on the Mass. Pike

(The Mass Pike is the Interstate Turnpike that crosses Massachusetts from Boston to the western border with New York.)

This table shows the Solar System relative to a common 12 inch globe of the Earth, like those used in school or a library. The Sun is reduced in size to an object as high as a 10 story building, the Moon will exactly the size of a softball. The speed of light is relatively reduced to 16 mph (bikelight speed), about the speed of a fast bike ride. If you can not ride bikelight speed, travel times in this table will be longer. If you can only travel the relative speed of the Space Shuttle, your speed will be the same as the speed of the tip of the minute hand on a 9 inch wall clock. This table shows the relative size, distance and time to travel from the Sun out thru the Solar System.


Solar Planets and Galactic objects

Astronomical Units = 93 million miles

Dia. Ref' to Earth

Dia. Ref' to a desk 12” globe

Miles on Mass Pike

Travel time , at 16 mph Bikelight speed

Mass. Turnpike Reference points from Boston, Mass.

Sun

0

109

109 ft

0

0

South Station Exit 24

Mercury

0.39

0.38

4.5 “

0.86

3 min

Prudential Bldg. Exit 22

Venus

0.72

0.94

11 ¼ “

1.6

6 min

Passing Fenway Park

Earth

1

1

12 “

2.2

8.3 min

Passing B. Univ.

Moon

--

0.27

3 ¼ “

30 ft

3 sec

Just 30 ft away

Mars

1.52

0.53

6.4 “

3.37

12.6 min

Allston Exit 20

Jupiter

5.2

11.2

11 ft

11.5

43 min

Rt 128 (I-95) Exit 24

Saturn

9.5

9.4

9 ½ ft

21

1 hr 17 min

Framingham Exit 12

Uranus

19

4.1

4 ft

42

1 hr 38 min

Auburn Exit 9 (I-290)

Neptune

30

3.8

3.8 ft

66

2 hr 9 min

Palmer Exit 8 (Rt 32)

Pluto

39.5

0.4

4 ¾ “

87

5 hr 28 min

Springfield Exit plus 4 miles

A. Centauri (nearest Star)

158,660 AU = 4.24 light years

--

--

--

Pedal for 4.24 years

2.5 times distance to Moon

Andromeda M31, (nearest visual galaxy)

2.2 million light years

--

--

--

Pedal for 2.2 million years

Way way way out

While you are biking down the Mass Pike, consider the latest theories in cosmology, (not related to astrology or cosmetology). Everything in the Universe that you can touch, feel or see (including all energy, like sunshine and gravity) is only about 4% of the known Universe. For the rest, 23% is 'dark matter', (ie unknown matter), and 73% is some unknown energy called 'dark energy' (even more unknown). And if that isn't enough to dwell upon, it appears that the dark energy will cause the our Universe to expand forever, eventually becoming just a black void with no stars, no galaxies, not even any black holes. But then again, maybe not. Recent, more complex M-brane theory predicts an Ekpyrotic type Universe. This theory is the basis for a Cyclic Universe that will start over again after all, and that 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' may not exist, but result from the interaction of a Parallel Universe less than a millimeter away.

Other Solar Scale Models