(filename: sundistsize.htm)

On average, the sun is 149,600,000km (93 million miles) from the earth. (Don't let anyone tell you that it is warmer in the summer because we are closer to the sun, by the way.

The sun's diameter is about 696,000km. (How many earths, stacked one on top of another, would it take to add up to that?

But how do we know? Can WE measure those parameters?

Science involves measuring. I don't care whether at the end of this you remember how big the sun is. But I do hope that you will think about the fact that we've measured something you wouldn't think it possible to measure.

One... or is it two?... little "cheat(s)"

I can tell you how far away the sun is... if you tell me how big it is.

.... or....

I can tell you how BIG the sun is... if you tell me HOW FAR AWAY it is.

And the bad news is: I'm out of time for this just now. Can you figure out... or find on other webpages... how it is done?

DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE SUN. It can be VERY bad for your eyes.

"All" you need to figure out what we've spoken of is

• Two large sheets of still paper (or similar)
• A way to hold them facing the sun, one in the shadow of the other
• A pinhole in the one nearer the sun
• A ruler

That's all. You measure two things, and then you can work out the rest!

If you "can't wait" for the answer... write me, and I will try to get back to this page and finish it.

BETTER: Treat what I've said so far as big hints, and figure out for yourself how what I've said can be done is done.

Search across all my sites with the Google search button at the top of the page the link will take you to.
Or...

The search engine merely looks for the words you type, so....

• Spell them properly.
• Don't bother with "How do I get rich?" That will merely return pages with "how", "do", "I"....

I have other sites. My Google custom search button will include things from them....
   One of my SheepdogGuides pages.
   My site at Arunet.

Ad from page's editor: Yes.. I do enjoy compiling these things for you... I hope they are helpful. However.. this doesn't pay my bills!!! If you find this stuff useful, (and you run an MS-DOS or Windows PC) please visit my freeware and shareware page, download something, and circulate it for me? Links on your page to this page would also be appreciated!

This page's editor, Tom Boyd, will be pleased if you get in touch by email.

Page has been tested for compliance with INDUSTRY (not MS-only) standards, using the free, publicly accessible validator at validator.w3.org. It passes in some important ways, but still needs work to fully meet HTML 5 expectations. (If your browser hides your history, you may have to put the page's URL into the validator by hand. Check what page the validator looked at before becoming alarmed by a "not found" or "wrong doctype".)

AND tested for