The diameter of Betelgeuse is about 700 times the diameter of the Sun. Selected basis: approximate values.
The ring marks the true-scale position of the Sun; it does not show its width. Only the inset is enlarged (×221).
Both rulers start at the same zero and share one linear scale. Artwork keeps its original proportions.
1,391,000 km - Diameter; approximate.
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. Its light and heat power most life and weather on Earth.
Our star, modelled with the IAU nominal solar radius. “Surface” means the visible photosphere. The core is much hotter; this is not a solid surface.
IAU — nominal solar and planetary conversion constants6.511 AU - Diameter; rounded model.
Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star in the constellation Orion that changes in brightness over time.
A deliberately rounded red-supergiant model. Its apparent edge varies with wavelength and the star changes over time.
Defined examples — our methodology
There’s always another scale
SpaceSun1,391,000 kmThe Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System.
SpaceBetelgeuse6.511 AUBetelgeuse is a red supergiant star in the constellation Orion that changes in brightness over time.
SpaceEarth12,740 kmEarth is the rocky planet on which we live and the third planet from the Sun.
SpaceJupiter139,800 kmJupiter is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, orbiting the Sun beyond the asteroid belt.
SpaceNeutron star20 kmA neutron star is the dense remnant core left after a massive star explodes as a supernova, composed mostly of neutrons.
SpaceEarth–Sun distance1 AUThe Earth–Sun distance, or astronomical unit, is the standard measure of separation between Earth and the Sun used in astronomy.Side by side
Illustrative artwork · not to scale
Illustrative artwork · not to scale
Illustrative artwork · not to scale
Illustrative artwork · not to scaleGot a good eye for scale?