Just how far away is Saturn?

[spudicus]

Just had a rough tinker with some numbers.... Give or take the odd month, or maybe even a year but...

I reckon, it would take a bullet fired from a High Velocity rifle (travelling at a velocity of 6500 fps) 21 years to reach the rings.

I'm doing this so I can try and get some sort of scale into things, as now everyone who knows me, knows I'm into Astronomy they keep asking me how far away things are!

If anyone has any other methods let me know!!!

Spud

[Jamie]

FYI Spud

PLANET Distance from the Sun

(Astronomical Units miles/km)

MERCURY 0.39 AU, 36 million miles

57.9 million km

VENUS 0.723 AU,67.2 million miles

108.2 million km

EARTH 1 AU, 93 million miles

149.6 million km

MARS 1.524 AU,141.6 million miles

227.9 million km

JUPITER 5.203 AU,483.6 million miles

778.3 million km

SATURN 9.539 AU,886.7 million miles

1,427.0 million km

URANIS 19.18 AU,1,784.0 million miles

2,871.0 million km

NEPTUNE 30.06 AU,2,794.4 million miles

4,497.1 million km

PLUTO 39.53 AU,3,674.5 million miles

5,913 million km

[FLO]

I reckon, it would take a bullet fired from a High Velocity rifle (travelling at a velocity of 6500 fps) 21 years to reach the rings.

Good analogy Spud; heres some more:

http://stargazerslounge.co.uk/index.php/topic,900.0.html

Steve

[Astroman]

You kind of have to take into account which side of the Sun we are on, as well as where the planet is. Mars is close now, being barely past opposition, while Saturn can be another 150 million kilometers away at inferior conjunction. (Of course, you can't see it then, but just for illustration.) I generally use a "fudge factor" of 80 million Km, depending.

That's a great chart there, SkyGuy, very helpful! 8)

[daz]

SkyGuy

I think you should tart that up and put it in the primers section....

[daz]

I generally use a "fudge factor" of 80 million Km, depending.

After all, what's 80 million km's between astronomers, eh??

[Astroman]

[

After all, what's 80 million km's between astronomers, eh??

Oh, another week at "bullet speed", no? Long time without a restroom? :shock:

[Jamie]

SkyGuy

I think you should tart that up and put it in the primers section....

I will do that just give me a couple of days a s i am run off my feet just now

as the wife is off to Africa next week and i have the honour of dealing with selling the MIL's house and moving her into the new one.

I think i heard the words "i knew he would come in handy one day"  :shock:

[daz]

Can't you just sell the MIL? Would make things easier all round, as far as I can see!!

[Jamie]

Make me an unreasonable offer MATE!

[Ant]

Perfect time to ensure that the MIL moves to a new house a very very long way away

Ant

[Jamie]

SkyGuy

I think you should tart that up and put it in the primers section....

Done / tarted and posted mate.

[daz]

Looks great!