Genre: Information/Explanation

Sometimes it 's hard to get a handle on the vastness of the universe . How far is an astronomical unit , anyhow ? In this list we 've brought the universe down to a more manageable scale . NASA The universe is a big place , but let 's cut it down to size by making the Earth the size of a Ping-Pong ball . On that scale it would be placed 500 yards ( 460 meters ) from the Sun . NASA The Sun would be a little over 14 feet ( 4 meters ) in diameter , about the size of a large gazebo . Photo NASA / JPL / Caltech ( NASA photo # PIA00405 ) On this scale the Moon would be a marble 4 feet ( 1 . 2 meters ) from Earth . NASA / JPL The planet Mercury would be the size of a large marble 2 ( gridiron ) football fields away from the Sun . NASA / JPL Venus would approximate a Ping-Pong ball placed 375 yards ( 340 meters ; slightly less than 2 blocks ) from the Sun . NASA / JPL / Malin Space Science Systems Mars would be a gumball sitting 3 1 ⁄ 4 blocks from the Sun . Photo NASA / JPL / Caltech ( NASA photo # PIA00343 ) Jupiter would be a large beach ball situated 1.5 miles ( 2 . 4 kilometers ) from the Sun . Photo AURA / STScI / NASA / JPL ( NASA photo # PIA01464 , STScI-PRC94-53 ) Saturn would be a slightly smaller beach ball located 2.8 miles ( 4 . 5 kilometers ) from the Sun . Erich Karkoschka , University of Arizona and NASA The planet Uranus would be the size of a cantaloupe placed 5.6 miles ( 9 kilometers ) from the Sun . Jet Propulsion Laboratory / National Aeronautics and Space Administration Neptune would be approximately the size of a medium acorn squash 8.8 miles ( 14 kilometers ) from the Sun . Ronald Zincone – VWPics / SuperStock The nearest star , Proxima Centauri , has to be placed 78,450 miles ( 126 , 250 kilometers ) from the Sun on this scale ! NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA Andromeda , the nearest spiral galaxy , would be 47,000,000,000 miles ( 76 , 000 , 000 , 000 kilometers ) away on this scale !