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The Sun, A Poem, and Some Facts
By Linda | February 18, 2008
This illustration accurately depicts the relational sizes of the Sun and planets of our solar system
a PIZZA the size of the SUN
A Poem by Jack Prelutsky
I’m making a pizza the size of the sun,
a pizza that’s sure to weigh more than a ton,
a pizza too massive to pick up and toss,
a pizza resplendent with oceans of sauce.
I’m topping my pizza with mountains of cheese,
with acres of peppers, pimentos and peas,
with mushrooms, tomatoes, and sausage galore,
with every last olive they had at the store.
My pizza is sure to be one of a kind,
my pizza will leave other pizzas behind,
my pizza will be a delectable treat
that all who love pizza are welcome to eat.
The oven is hot, I believe it will take
a year and a half for my pizza to bake.
I hardly can wait till my pizza is done,
my wonderful pizza the size of the sun.
Consider that if the Sun really was the size of a 12″ pizza (actually a 12″ basketball would be a more appropriate comparison) the following would be true:
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Earth would be approximately half the size of a pea
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Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, would be a little smaller than a golf ball.
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The distance from the Sun to the Earth would be 109 feet (longer that a basketball court).
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At this scale, the distance from the Sun to Pluto would be almost a mile!
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Betelgeuse (pronounced beetle juice), A class M supergiant star, is 1000 times larger than our Sun. In our scale model universe, Betelgeuse would be more than 6 times larger than the Epcot sphere (Spaceship Earth) at Disney World!
These astronomical distances are the primary reason you’re unlikely to ever see a true scale model of our solar system that is accurate in both planetary/solar size representation AND orbital distances. Either the planets would have to be so small you would need a microscope to see them, or you would need to put on a serious pair of walking shoes to see the panets that inhabit the outer orbits.
How big is the universe? REALLY REALLY Big! - And it’s growing all the time! To take a little trip beyond Earth, our solar system and the Milky Way, click on the video below.
If you liked this poem, I think you’ll also enjoy “I Cloned Myself on Friday Night”
Topics: Jokes, Humor & Poetry, Science Factoids, The Cosmos |
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:20 pm
[…] If you like the idea of a downsized universe, you can see what else would be true if the sun were the size of a pizza by clicking HERE! […]