Orders of magnitude (length)

Template:Associations/Orders of magnitude (length)

Template:Orders of magnitude

To help compare different orders of magnitude, the following list describes various lengths between 1.6Template:E m and 1.3Template:E m.

List of orders of magnitude for length Factor (m)  | Multiple  | Value  | Item

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10−35 |  | 1.6Template:E m  | Planck length; size of a hypothetical string; lengths smaller than this do not make any physical sense, according to current theories of physics
. . .
10−24 | 1 yoctometre (ym)  |  |
10−21 | 1 zeptometre (zm)  |  |
10−18 | 1 attometre (am)  |  | upper limit for the size of quarks and electrons
| sensitivity of the LIGO detector for gravitational waves
10−15 | 1 femtometre (fm)  |  | size of a proton
| classical electron radius
10−14 | 10 fm  |  | scale of the atomic nucleus
| range of the weak force
10−13 | 100 fm  |
10−12 | 1 picometre (pm)  |  | distance between atomic nuclei in a white dwarf
| wavelength of gamma rays
2.4 pm  | Compton wavelength of electron
5 pm  | wavelength of shortest X-rays
10−11 | 10 pm  | 25 pm  | radius of hydrogen atom
31 pm  | radius of helium atom
53 pm  | Bohr radius
10−10 | 100 pm  |  | wavelength of X-rays
100 pm  | 1 Ångström
100 pm (0.1 nm)  | covalent radius of sulfur atom
126 pm (0.126 nm)  | covalent radius of ruthenium atom
135 pm (0.135 nm)  | covalent radius of technetium atom
153 pm (0.153 nm)  | covalent radius of silver atom
154 pm (0.154 nm)  | length of a typical covalent bond (C–C).
155 pm (0.155 nm)  | covalent radius of zirconium atom
175 pm (0.175 nm)  | covalent radius of thulium atom
225 pm (0.225 nm)  | covalent radius of caesium atom
500 pm (0.50 nm)  | width of protein α helix
10−9 | 1 nanometre (nm)  | 1 nm  | diameter of Carbon nanotube
2 nm  | diameter of DNA helix
2.5 nm  | Smallest transistor gate oxide thickness microprocessors (as of Jan 2007)
3 nm  | distance between a hard drive read head and the disk surface
3.4 nm  | length of a DNA turn (10 bp)
3 × 8 nm  | size of an albumin protein molecule
6 - 10 nm  | thickness of cell membrane
10−8 | 10 nm  | 10 nm  | typical diameter of nanowire
10 nm  | thickness of cell wall in gram-negative bacteria
20 nm  | thickness of bacterial flagellum
20 - 80 nm  | thickness of cell wall in gram-positive bacteria
40 nm  | extreme ultraviolet wavelength
45 nm  | Smallest feature size of production microprocessors (as of Jan 2007)
90 nm  | human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (generally, viruses range in size from 20 nm to 450 nm)
10−7 | 100 nm  |  | size of chromosomes
100 nm  | 90% of particles in wood smoke are smaller than this
120 nm  | typical penetrating particle size for a ULPA (Ultra Low Penetration Air) filter (removes up to 99.999% at 0.12 micrometres) and a SULPA (Super ULPA) filter (removes up to 99.9999% at 0.12 micrometres)
121.6 nm  | wavelength of the lyman-alpha line
280 nm  | near ultraviolet wavelength
300 nm  | most-penetrating particle size for a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter (N100 removes up to 99.97% at 0.3 micrometres, N95 removes up to 95% at 0.3 micrometres)
380–430 nm  | wavelength of violet light—see color and optical spectrum
430–450 nm  | wavelength of indigo light
450–500 nm  | wavelength of blue light
500–520 nm  | wavelength of cyan light
520–565 nm  | wavelength of green light
565–590 nm  | wavelength of yellow light
590–625 nm  | wavelength of orange light
625–740 nm  | wavelength of red light
10−6 | 1 micrometre (µm)  | 1 µm  | also called 1 micron
1–3 µm  | particle size that a surgical mask removes at 80-95% efficiency
1–10 µm  | diameter of typical bacterium
1.55 µm  | wavelength of light used in optical fibre
3–5 µm  | size of a human spermatozoon's head (radius by length)
4–5 µm  | Average width of strand of Spider web major ampullate (dragline) thread from Nephila species [1]
6–8 µm  | diameter of a human red blood cell
6 µm  | anthrax spore
7 µm  | diameter of the nucleus of typical eukariotic cell
10−5 | 10 µm  | 10 µm  | typical size of a fog, mist or cloud water droplet
10 µm  | width of cotton fibre
10.6 µm  | wavelength of light emitted by a Carbon dioxide laser
12 µm  | width of Acrylic fibre
13 µm  | width of nylon fibre
14 µm  | width of polyester fibre
15 µm  | width of silk fibre (double stranded)
17 µm  | dust mite excreta ¹
20 µm  | width of wool fibre
25.4 µm  | 1/1000 inch, commonly referred to as 1 mil
50 µm  | typical length of Euglena gracilis, a flagellate protist
80 µm  | average width of human hair (ranges from 18 to 180 µm)
10−4 | 100 µm  | 125 µm  | dust mite
200 µm  | typical length of Paramecium caudatum, a ciliate protist
300 µm  | diameter of Thiomargarita namibiensis, the largest bacterium ever discovered
500 µm  | MEMS micro-engine
500 µm  | diameter of a human ovum
500 µm  | typical length of Amoeba proteus, an amoeboid protist
10−3 | 1 millimetre (mm)  | 2.54 mm  | distance between pins in old DIP (dual-inline-package) electronic components
5 mm  | length of average red ant
7.62 mm  | common military ammunition size
10−2 | 1 centimetre (cm)  | 1.5 cm  | length of a large mosquito
2.54 cm  | 1 inch
3.1 cm  | 1 attoparsec (10−18 parsecs)
4.267 cm  | diameter of a Golf ball
10−1 | 1 decimetre (dm)  | 10 cm  | wavelength of the highest UHF radio frequency, 3 GHz
10 cm  | diameter of the cervix upon entering the second stage of labour
10.16 cm  | 1 hand used in measuring height of horses (4 inches)
12 cm  | wavelength of the 2.45 GHz ISM radio band
15 cm  | height of a Lilliputian from Gulliver's Travels
15 cm  | approximate size of largest beetle species
15 cm  | length of a Bic pen with cap on
21 cm  | wavelength of the hydrogen line, a hyperfine transition of the hydrogen atom
22 cm  | diameter of a typical soccer ball
29.98 cm  | distance light travels in one nanosecond
30.48 cm  | 1 foot
31 cm  | wingspan of largest butterfly species Ornithoptera alexandrae
50-65 cm  | a pizote's tail
66 cm  | length of the longest pine cones (produced by the sugar pine)
90 cm  | average length of a rapier, a fencing sword
91 cm  | 1 yard
100 | 1 metre | 1 m  | wavelength of the lowest UHF and highest VHF radio frequency, 300 MHz
1 m  | approximate height of the top part of a doorknob on a door
1.435 m  | Standard gauge of railway track
1.7 m (5 feet 7 inches)  | average height of a human being
2.44 m  | height of a football goal.
2.45 m  | highest jump by a human being (Javier Sotomayor)
2.72 m  | tallest known human being (Robert Wadlow)
2.77 - 3.44 m  | wavelength of the broadcast radio FM band 87–108 MHz
3.048 m (10 feet)  | height of the basket in basketball
5.5 m  | height of tallest animal, the giraffe
8.95 m  | longest jump by a human being (Mike Powell)
101 | 1 decametre (dam)  | 10 m  | wavelength of the lowest VHF and highest shortwave radio frequency, 30 MHz
18.44 m (60 feet 6 inches)  | distance between the pitcher's rubber and home plate on a baseball field
20.12 m (22 yards)  | length of a cricket pitch
21 m  | height of High Force waterfall in England.
23 m  | height of the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde, Paris.
25 m  | wavelength of the broadcast radio shortwave band at 12 MHz
27.43 m (90 feet)  | distance between bases on a baseball field
30 m  | length of a blue whale, the largest animal
31 m  | wavelength of the broadcast radio shortwave band at 9.7 MHz
40 m  | average depth beneath the seabed of the Channel tunnel
49 m  | width of an American football field (53 1/3 yards)
49 m  | wavelength of the broadcast radio shortwave band at 6.1 MHz
52 m  | height of Niagara Falls
55 m  | height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
62 m  | Height of Pyramid of Djoser
70 m  | width of a typical football field
70 m  | length of the Bayeux Tapestry
88.40 m  | wingspan of the Antonov An-225 transport aircraft
91.44 m  | length of an American football field (100 yards, measured between the goal lines)
93.47 m  | height of the Statue of Liberty (foundation of pedestal to torch)
102 | 1 hectometre (hm)  | 100 m  | wavelength of the lowest shortwave radio frequency and highest medium wave radio frequency, 3 MHz
105 m  | length of a typical football field
109.73 m  | total length of an American football field (120 yards, including the end zones)
115.55 m  | height of the world's tallest tree, a Coast redwood
137 m (147 m)  | height (present/original) of the Great Pyramid of Giza
139.5 m  | height of the world's tallest roller coaster, Kingda Ka
187 m  | shortest wavelength of the broadcast radio AM band, 1600 kHz
299.792 m  | approximate distance travelled by light in one microsecond
300.65 m  | height of the Eiffel Tower (roof)
340 m  | distance sound travels in air in one second; see speed of sound
400–500 m  | approximate heights of the world's tallest skyscrapers of the past 70 years.
458 m  | length of the Knock Nevis, the world's largest supertanker
541 m (1776 ft)  | height of the planned Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site
555 m  | longest wavelength of the broadcast radio AM band, 540 kHz
637 m  | present (Apr 2008) height of the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest free-standing land structure which is projected to reach 645 m (818 m including antenna) at completion in 2008
647 m  | height of the Warsaw radio mast, formerly the tallest man-made structure, collapsed in 1991
979 m  | height of the Salto Angel, the world's highest free-falling waterfall (Venezuela)
103 | 1 kilometre (km)  | 1 km  | wavelength of the lowest medium wave radio frequency, 300 kHz
1609 m  | 1 international mile
1852 m  | 1 nautical mile
1991 m  | Span of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, largest in the world as of June 2006
2309 m  | Axial length of the Three Gorges Dam, the largest dam in the world
8848 m  | height of the highest mountain on earth, Mount Everest
104 | 10 km  | 10.911 km  | depth of deepest part of the ocean, Mariana Trench
13 km  | narrowest width of the Strait of Gibraltar, separating Europe and Africa
25 km  | height of the highest known mountain of the solar system, Olympus Mons on Mars
30 km  | length of the longest man made dike enclosed by water on two sides, the Afsluitdijk
31.3 km  | highest parachute jump (Joseph Kittinger)
33 km  | narrowest width of the English Channel at the Strait of Dover
34.668 km  | highest manned balloon flight (Malcolm D. Ross and Victor E. Prather)
38.422 km  | length of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, as of June 2006, the longest bridge in the world
42.195 km  | length of the Marathon, the longest mainstream long-distance road running event
53.9 km  | length of the Seikan Tunnel, as of February 2006, the longest in the world
77.1 km  | total length of the Panama Canal
90 km  | width of the Bering Strait
105 | 100 km  | 111 km  | one degree of latitude on Earth
163 km  | length of the Suez Canal
300 km  | the approximate distance travelled by light in one millisecond
560 km  | distance of Bordeaux-Paris, formerly the longest one-day professional cycling race
804.67 km (500 miles)  | distance of the Indy 500 automobile race
975 km  | greatest diameter of the largest solar system asteroid,[1] 1 Ceres
106 | 1,000 km = 1 megametre (Mm)  | 2,390 km  | diameter of dwarf planet Pluto, formerly the smallest "planet"[1] of our solar system
3,480 km  | diameter of the Moon
5,200 km  | typical distance covered by the winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans automobile endurance race
6,400 km  | length of the Great Wall of China
6,600 km  | approximate length of the two longest rivers, the Nile and the Amazon
7,821 km  | length of the Trans-Canada Highway
9,288 km  | length of the Trans-Siberian Railway, longest in the world
107 | 10,000 km  | 12,756 km  | equatorial diameter of the Earth
40,075 km  | length of the Earth's equator
108 | 100,000 km  | 142,984 km  | diameter of Jupiter
299,792.458 km  | distance travelled by light in one second
384,000 km = 384 Mm  | Moon's orbital distance from Earth
109 | 1 million km = 1 gigametre (Gm)  | 1,390,000 km = 1.39 Gm  | diameter of the Sun
4,200,000  km = 4.2 Gm  | greatest mileage ever recorded by a car (A 1966 Volvo P-1800S, still driving)
1010 | 10 million km  | 18 million km  | approximately one light-minute
1011 | 100 million km  | 150 million km = 150 Gm  | 1 astronomical unit (AU); mean distance between Earth and Sun.
~ 900 Gm  | optical diameter of Betelgeuse (~600 x Sun)
1012 | 1000 million km = 1 terametre (Tm)  | 1.4 Template:E km  | orbital distance of Saturn from Sun
~ 3 Template:E km  | estimated optical diameter of VY Canis Majoris, as of 2007 the largest known star (~2000 x Sun)
5.9 Template:E km = 5.9 Tm  | orbital distance of Pluto from Sun
~ 7.5 Template:E km = 7.5 Tm  | outer boundary of the Kuiper belt, inner boundary of the Oort cloud (~ 50 AU)
1013 | 10 Tm  | 15.91Template:E km = 15.91 Tm  | distance of the Voyager 1 spacecraft from sun (as of May 2008), the farthest man-made object so far [2]
1014 | 100 Tm  |  |
1015 | 1 petametre (Pm)  | ~ 7.5 Template:E km = 7.5 Pm  | supposed outer boundary of the Oort cloud (~ 50,000 AU)
9.46Template:E km = 9.46 Pm
= 1 light year | distance travelled by light in one year; at its current speed, Voyager 1 would need 17,500 years to travel this distance
1016 | 10 Pm  | 3.2616 light-years
(3.08568Template:E m = 30.8568 Pm)  | 1 parsec
4.22 light-years = 39.9 Pm  | distance to nearest star (Proxima Centauri)
10.4 light-years = 98.4 Pm  | as of September 2007, distance to nearest discovered extrasolar planet (Epsilon Eridani b)
1017 | 100 Pm  | 20.4 light-years = 193 Pm  | as of September 2007, distance to nearest discovered extrasolar planet with potential to support life as we know it (Gliese 581 c)
6.15Template:E m = 615 Pm = 65 light-years  | approximate radius of humanity's radio bubble, caused by high-power TV broadcasts leaking through the atmosphere into outer space
1018 | 1 exametre (Em)  | 200 light-years = 1.9 Em  | as of October 2007, distance to nearest discovered solar twin (HIP 56948), a star with properties virtually identical to our Sun [2]
1019 | 10 Em  |  |
1020 | 100 Em  | 10,000 light-years
1021 | 1 zettametre (Zm)  | 100,000 light-years  | diameter of galactic disk of Milky Way Galaxy
50 kiloparsecs  | distance to SN 1987A, the most recent naked eye supernova
52 kiloparsecs = 1.6Template:E m = 1.6 Zm  | distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way)
54 kiloparsecs = 1.66 Zm  | distance to the Small Magellanic Cloud (another dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way)
1022 | 10 Zm  | 22.3 Zm = 2.36 million light-years
= 725 kiloparsecs | distance to Andromeda Galaxy
50 Zm (1.6 Mpc)  | diameter of Local Group of galaxies
1023 | 100 Zm  | 300–600 Zm = 10–20 megaparsecs  | distance to Virgo cluster of galaxies
1024 | 1 yottametre (Ym)  | 200 million light-years
= 2 Ym = 60 megaparsecs  | diameter of the Local Supercluster
500 million light-years
= 5 Ym = 150 megaparsecs  |
1025 | 10 Ym  |
1026 | 100 Ym  | 1Template:E light-years
= 1026 m = 100 Ym  | estimated light travel distance to certain quasars
92Template:E light years
= 9.2Template:E m = 920 Ym  | approx. diameter (comoving distance) of the visible universe
1053 | 1Template:E Ym  | 1Template:E light years  | approx. size of the entire (non-visible) universe / according to cosmic inflation theory.

## See also

[edit | edit source]

* Powers of Ten, a 1977 short documentary film which depicts the relative scale of the Universe in factors of ten.

### Footnotes

[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The exact category (asteroid/dwarf planet/planet) to which particular solar system objects belong, has been subject to some revision since the discovery of extrasolar planets and trans-Neptunian objects
2. ↑ Shiga, David. "Sun's 'twin' an ideal hunting ground for alien life". New Scientist. Retrieved 2007-10-03.

## External links

[edit | edit source]

* Secret Worlds: The Universe Within, a Java animation which presents the notion of scale from the galaxy (10 millions light years, 1023 m) to the quark (100 attometres, 10−16 m); Molecular Expressions, State University of Florida
* Powers of Ten Travel across the Universe. Altering perspective by changing scale by just a few powers of ten (interactive)

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