Your build set
8 moons
4 inner moons plus the 4 Galilean moons.
Shared scale
3-inch max
Ganymede sets the largest allowed printed moon diameter.
Room reality
35-foot classroom
Europa nearly fits. Callisto spills far beyond it.
Explore
Research the moons like a science guide, not a textbook wall of facts.
Start with the moons you build, then turn on the outer irregular moons to show how tiny and far some of Jupiter's other moons really are.
Compare
Translate giant numbers into places, trips, and time spans you already know.
Use the charts below to compare moon size and distance across the full set. This is where the lesson shifts from facts to visual scale.
Size lineup
Moon diameters, scaled relative to Ganymede.
Orbit spread
Average distance from Jupiter, shown on a compressed classroom-friendly scale.
Quick comparison table
One glance at diameter, drive-across time, print size, and string length.
| Moon | Diameter | Drive across at 60 mph | Model diameter | String length |
|---|
Scale Lab + Build Planner
Use one moon selector to drive the math, the room model, and your OnShape design brief.
The build scale is locked so the largest moon in your build set, Ganymede, prints at exactly 3 inches. Everything else is calculated from that same rule.
Choose your moon
Everything below updates from this one choice.
Pick a moon once, then use the scale math and the build brief together.
Shared build rule
One scale keeps every printed moon and string consistent.
- Largest moon in your build set
- Ganymede
- The moon you selected
- Allowed printed diameter
- 3 inches
- Build scale
- String reminder
- Same scale. No shrinking the orbit just because it is inconvenient.
Computer calculator
Check print size, string length, and room fit in one place.
Selected moon
Reference space
Travel mode
What every design needs
Keep the moon simple, strong, and easy to print.
- Use the shared scale. Do not resize the moon larger than 3 inches.
- Include a hole for string so the moon can hang in the classroom model.
- Add the moon name as readable text.
- Pick one surface idea that matches the real moon.
- Keep details thick enough to survive printing and classroom use.