Question

On a scale where the Sun is about the size of a grapefruit and the Earth is about 15 meters away, how far away are the nearest stars besides the Sun?

1) about the distance across the United States
2) about the distance across the state of Delaware
3) about the distance across 50 football fields
4) 100 meters

Answer 1

In a scaled model where the Sun is a grapefruit and the Earth is 15 meters away, the nearest star would be another grapefruit situated approximately the distance across the United States, highlighting the vastness of space.

Step-by-step explanation:

On a scale where the Sun is about the size of a grapefruit and the Earth is about 15 meters away, the nearest stars besides the Sun would be akin to placing another grapefruit approximately the distance across the United States. This comparison helps in visualizing the vast distances in space. The reason for this immense distance is because the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is about 4 light-years away from us, which translates to approximately 38 trillion kilometers. Even when we scale down our solar system, the nearest star remains incredibly distant on this scale, underscoring the fact that stars are greatly separated from one another compared to their sizes.