Worlds apart

Ceres vs Moon

What are they, and what does the difference actually look like?

Two things. One honest scale.

Meet the pair

What these two things are

Ceres

Ceres is a dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

939.4 kmDiameter

Moon

The Moon is Earth’s natural satellite and the brightest large object in Earth’s night sky.

3,475 kmMean diameter

The mean diameter of Moon is about 3.7 times the diameter of Ceres.

True scale
01
Ceres939.4 kmDiameter
02
Moon3,475 kmMean diameter
Both marked spans share one linear scale. Artwork keeps its proportions; poses and surface detail are illustrative.
Measurements, assumptions & sources +

Ceres

Rounded mean-radius model of Ceres. The derived area and volume describe a sphere; surface terrain and flattening are omitted.

Defined examples — our methodology

The marked diameter is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.

Moon

Rounded mean-radius model of Moon. The derived area and volume describe a sphere; surface terrain and flattening are omitted.

NASA JPL — Planetary satellite physical parameters

The marked mean diameter is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.

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Measurement details

Why these numbers?

The visual compares diameter with mean diameter. The records below preserve each value’s basis and caveats.

Ceres

939.4 km

Diameter · rounded reference

Rounded mean-radius model of Ceres. The derived area and volume describe a sphere; surface terrain and flattening are omitted.

Moon

3,475 km

Mean diameter · approximate

Rounded mean-radius model of Moon. The derived area and volume describe a sphere; surface terrain and flattening are omitted.

Comparing
Diameter ↔ Mean diameter
Relative size
Moon is larger on this measurement by a factor of about 3.7. Moon's selected measurement is approximately 270% greater than Ceres's.

How to read the visual

The labelled spans and stored measurements determine the scale; unmeasured illustration details do not.

  • Ceres is labelled rounded reference; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.
  • Moon is labelled approximate; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.

There’s always another scale

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