List of Orders of Magnitude for length
Decade of Length |
Length using SI prefixes
|
Length of Item |
Item |
10-35 m |
|
1.6×10-35 m |
Planck length; lengths smaller than this do not make any physical sense, according to current theories of physics
|
... |
10-24 m |
1 yoctometre (ym)
|
|
|
10-21 m |
1 zeptometre (zm)
|
|
|
10-18 m |
1 attometre (am)
|
|
size of a quark
|
|
sensitivity of the LIGO detector for gravitational waves
|
10-15 m |
1 femtometre (fm)
|
|
size of a proton
|
|
classical electron
|
10-14 m |
10 fm |
|
scale of the atomic nucleus
|
|
range of the weak nuclear force
|
10-13 m
|
100 fm |
|
Compton wavelength of electron
|
10-12 m
|
1 picometre (pm)
|
|
distance between atomic nuclei in a white dwarf
|
|
wavelength of gamma rays
|
5 pm |
wavelength of shortest X-rays
|
10-11 m
|
10 pm |
25 pm |
radius of hydrogen atom
|
31 pm |
radius of helium atom
|
10-10 m
|
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 m
|
1 nanometre (nm)
|
2 nm |
diameter of DNA helix
|
10-8 m
|
10 nm |
20 nm |
thickness of bacterial flagellum
|
40 nm |
extreme ultraviolet wavelength
|
90 nm |
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (generally, viruses range in size from 20 nm to 450 nm)
|
100 nm |
90% of particles in wood smoke are smaller than this |
10-7 m
|
100 nm |
|
size of chromosomes
|
100 nm |
maximum particle size that can fit through a surgical mask
|
120 nm |
maximum particle size that can fit through a ULPA filter[1]
|
280 nm |
near ultraviolet wavelength
|
300 nm |
maximum particle size that can fit through a HEPA filter
|
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 m
|
1 micrometre (µm)
|
1-10 µm |
diameter of typical bacterium
|
1.55 µm |
wavelength of light used in optical fibre
|
6-8 µm |
diameter of a human red blood cell
|
6 µm |
anthrax spore
|
7 µm |
width of strand of spider web [2]
|
7 µm |
diameter of the nucleus of typical eukariotic cell
|
10-5 m
|
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
|
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 m
|
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 m
|
1 millimetre (mm)
|
2.54 mm |
distance between pins in old DIP (dual-inline-pins) electronic components
|
5 mm |
length of average red ant
|
7.62 mm |
common military ammunition size |
10-2 m
|
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 golfball
|
10-1 m
|
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 |
Hand using 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 |
30.48 cm |
1 foot
|
50-65 cm |
a pizote's tail
|
66 cm |
length of the longest pine cones (produced by the sugar pine)
|
89 cm |
average adult height of a Hobbit
|
90 cm |
average length of a rapier, a fencing sword
|
91 cm |
1 yard
|
1 m
|
1 metre
|
1 m |
wavelength of the lowest UHF and highest VHF radio frequency, 300 MHz
|
1.7 m (5 feet 7 inches) |
average person's height
|
1.435m |
Standard gauge of railway track
|
2.77 - 3.44 m |
wavelength of the broadcast radio FM band 108 - 87 MHz
|
3.048 m (10 feet) |
height of the basket in basketball
|
5.5 m |
height of tallest animal, the giraffe
|
10 m
|
1 decametre (dam)
|
10 m |
wavelength of the lowest VHF and highest shortwave radio frequency, 30 MHz
|
18.44 m |
distance between the pitcher's rubber and home plate on a baseball field
|
20 m |
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 |
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
|
60 m |
Pyramid of Djoser
|
70 m |
width of soccer field
|
70 m |
length of the Bayeux Tapestry
|
91.44 m |
length of an American football field (100 yards, measured between the goal lines)
|
100 m
|
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 soccer field
|
109.73 m |
total length of an American football field (120 yards, including the end zones)
|
112.34 m |
height of the world's tallest tree, a Coast redwood
|
137 m |
height of the Great Pyramid of Giza
|
147 m |
original height of the Great Pyramid of Giza
|
168 m |
height of the Bungsberg , highest point in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
|
187 m |
shortest wavelength of the broadcast radio AM band, 1600 kHz
|
193 m |
the approximate length of New Jersey State Highway 59
|
244 m |
height of the City Gate building in Ramat-Gan, Israel
|
300 m |
height of the Eiffel Tower
|
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.
|
541 m (1,776 ft)
|
height of the planned Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site
|
553.33 m |
height of the CN Tower, the world's tallest free-standing land structure
|
555 m |
longest wavelength of the broadcast radio AM band, 540 kHz
|
647 m |
height of the Warsaw radio mast, formerly the tallest man-made structure, collapsed in 1991
|
1,000 m
|
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
|
8848 m |
height of the highest mountain, Mount Everest
|
10,000 m
|
10 km |
10,911 m |
Mariana Trench
|
33 km |
narrowest width of the English Channel at the Strait of Dover
|
100,000 m
|
100 km |
111 km |
one degree of latitude on Earth
|
106 m
|
1,000 km = 1 megametre (Mm)
|
3,480 km |
diameter of the Moon
|
6,400 km |
length of the Great Wall of China
|
107 m
|
10,000 km |
12,756 km
40,075 km |
equatorial diameter of the Earth
length of the Earth's equator
|
108 m
|
100,000 km |
384,000 km = 384 Mm |
Moon's orbital distance from Earth
|
109 m
|
1 million km = 1 gigametre (Gm)
|
1,390,000 km = 1.39 Gm |
diameter of the Sun
|
1010 m
|
10 million km |
1011 m
|
100 million km |
150 million km = 150 Gm |
1 astronomical unit (AU); mean distance between Earth and Sun.
|
1012 m
|
1000 million km = 1 terametre (Tm)
|
1.4 × 109 km |
orbital distance of Saturn from Sun
|
5.9 × 109 km = 5.9 Tm |
orbital distance of Pluto from Sun
|
1013 m
|
10 Tm |
13.8 × 109 km = 13.8 Tm |
distance of the Voyager 1 spacecraft from sun (May 2004), the farthest man-made object so far
|
1014 m
|
100 Tm |
1015 m
|
1 petametre (Pm)
|
9.46 × 1012 km = 9.46 Pm = 1 light year
|
distance travelled by light in one year
|
1016 m
|
10 Pm |
3.2616 light years (3.08568×1016 m = 30.8568 Pm) |
1 parsec
|
4.22 light years = 39.9 Pm |
distance to nearest star (Proxima Centauri)
|
1017 m
|
100 Pm |
1018 m
|
1 exametre (Em)
|
1019 m
|
10 Em |
1020 m
|
100 Em |
100,000 light years |
diameter of galactic disk of Milky Way Galaxy
|
1021 m
|
1 zettametre (Zm)
|
52 kiloparsecs (1.6 × 1021 m = 1.6 Zm)
|
distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way)
|
54 kiloparsecs (1.66 × 1021 m = 1.66 Zm) |
distance to the Small Magellanic Cloud (another dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way)
|
1022 m
|
10 Zm |
22.3 Zm (2.36 million light years = 725 kiloparsecs = 22.3 Zm)
|
distance to Andromeda Galaxy
|
50 Zm (1.6 Mpc) |
diameter of Local Group of galaxies
|
1023 m
|
100 Zm |
300-600 Zm (10-20 megaparsecs) |
distance to Virgo cluster of galaxies
|
1024 m
|
1 yottametre (Ym)
|
200 million light years (2 Ym, 60 megaparsecs) |
diameter of the Local Supercluster
|
500 million light years (5 Ym, 150 megaparsecs) |
length of Great Wall, the largest observed superstructure in the universe
|
1025 m
|
10 Ym |
1026 m
|
100 Ym |
10 × 109 light years |
estimated distance to certain quasars, the farthest observed objects in the universe
|
13.7 × 109 light years = m = 130 Ym |
distance the cosmic background radiation has travelled since the Big Bang
|
... |
infinity???
|
possible size of the whole universe |
Last updated: 05-08-2005 07:45:57