The Sun
1,391,400 km (864,580 mi)
Diameter (twice the volumetric mean radius)
Our star. Measured across its visible surface. Diameter: about 1.39 million km, 109 Earths across.
Published
How big is that?
1,391,400 km is 9.7 times Jupiter.
The Sun is the 2nd largest of the 39 Cosmic Scale objects, and the 2nd largest of the 109 objects across all three SizeItUp games.
Size comparison
To scale, smallest to largest: The Sun in orange beside the Cosmic Scale objects nearest in size, in teal.
| Object | Size | vs The Sun |
|---|---|---|
| Saturn (Planet only)The ringed giant. Its height here is the planet's own diameter; the rings stick out sideways. | 120,536 km across | 9% of the size |
| JupiterThe largest planet, a ball of gas with a storm bigger than Earth. | 142,984 km across | 10% of the size |
| The Sun | 1,391,400 km across | – |
| Sirius A (The Dog Star)The brightest star in the night sky, 8.6 light-years away. | 2,385,400 km across | 1.7× bigger |
In other units
| Metres | 1,391,400,000 |
|---|---|
| Kilometres | 1,391,400 |
| Miles | 864,600 |
How it's measured
Diameter (twice the volumetric mean radius). NASA Sun Fact Sheet: radius 695,700 km.
Fact sheets list a radius; the diameter here is twice that.
Sources
- nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov: Volumetric mean radius 695,700 km; diameter = 2 x radius.
Checked against the source on .
Could you have guessed it by eye?
The Sun is one of the objects in Cosmic Scale, a daily size comparison game: you stretch a shape to the size you think is right beside one you know.