Stellar · Solar system
Solar System to Neptune
≈9 billion kmThe broad diameter of Neptune’s orbit reveals how empty a planetary system really is.
Stellar ↔ Interstellar
How much wider is the Oort Cloud than Neptune’s orbit?
The answer depends on which boundary you call the Solar System, making this a comparison of two useful but different extents.
Linear ratio3,333×
Using the stated linear measurements, Oort Cloud is 3,333× Solar System to Neptune.
Interstellar · Solar system
Oort Cloud
≈3.2 light-yearsA hypothetical distant reservoir of icy bodies surrounding the planetary system.
The answer
A ratio, an analogy and the definitions behind both.
Using the stated linear measurements, Oort Cloud is 3,333× Solar System to Neptune.
About 3,333× Solar System to Neptune linear spans fit across the selected measurement of Oort Cloud.
Neptune-orbit diameter versus representative cloud diameter
The metre values can be divided as linear spans, but the two entries do not describe identical kinds of boundary.
Solar System to Neptune is representative; oort Cloud is model-dependent.
Representative, variable and model-dependent values are useful for perspective only when their status remains visible.
Measurement ledger
What exactly was divided?
| Landmark | Value | Measurement | Certainty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar System to Neptune | ≈9 billion km | Neptune-orbit diameter | Representative | NASA Science ↗ |
| Oort Cloud | ≈3.2 light-years | representative cloud diameter | Model-dependent | NASA Science ↗ |