Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 minutes ago
In this real-time 5.5-hour animation, we trace a single beam of light from the Sun all the way to Pluto. I set the video to a few space-inspired meditative songs so you can even leave this on (no mid-roll ads) as you fly through the solar system.
Light moves at 299,792 kilometers per second (or 186,282 miles per second). That’s fast... until you see just how long it actually takes to cross the solar system. There's a lot of space in space. Keep in mind that it took the New Horizons mission to Pluto 9 years to make this journey, and it got a start at planet Earth!
Not to mention the speed at which light passes each planet. Most are blink and you'll miss it!
No narration. No time lapse. Even at light speed, the solar system is vast. This is one way we can begin to appreciate the true size of it.
Timestamps (5 seconds early):
Mercury - 00:03:05
Venus - 00:05:55
Earth - 00:08:15
Mars - 00:12:35
Jupiter - 00:43:05
Saturn - 01:19:55
Uranus - 02:39:55
Neptune - 04:09:55
Pluto - 05:29:55
🎥 Football field scale model of the solar system youtube.com/watch?v=NC4pLkUYpjA&feature=youtu.be
Deep Space by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
――――
The Dark Glow of the Mountains by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In this real-time 5.5-hour animation, we trace a single beam of light from the Sun all the way to Pluto. I set the video to a few space-inspired meditative songs so you can even leave this on (no mid-roll ads) as you fly through the solar system.
Light moves at 299,792 kilometers per second (or 186,282 miles per second). That’s fast... until you see just how long it actually takes to cross the solar system. There's a lot of space in space. Keep in mind that it took the New Horizons mission to Pluto 9 years to make this journey, and it got a start at planet Earth!
Not to mention the speed at which light passes each planet. Most are blink and you'll miss it!
No narration. No time lapse. Even at light speed, the solar system is vast. This is one way we can begin to appreciate the true size of it.
Timestamps (5 seconds early):
Mercury - 00:03:05
Venus - 00:05:55
Earth - 00:08:15
Mars - 00:12:35
Jupiter - 00:43:05
Saturn - 01:19:55
Uranus - 02:39:55
Neptune - 04:09:55
Pluto - 05:29:55
🎥 Football field scale model of the solar system youtube.com/watch?v=NC4pLkUYpjA&feature=youtu.be
Deep Space by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
――――
The Dark Glow of the Mountains by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
