SeeTheScale

How much of the ocean floor is mapped compared with the Moon?

Since 2011 there has been a height map of 98.2 % of the Moon's surface with about one point every 100 metres. Of our own ocean floor, only 27.3 % had been measured to modern standards by June 2025 (Seabed 2030) – the rest is known only roughly from satellite measurements of the sea surface, with a resolution of several kilometres. Water blocks radar and light, so the seafloor has to be measured by ships with sonar, strip by strip. Mars, too, is mapped far better than the deep sea.

Data as of: Moon: map released 2011 · ocean floor: status June 2025

Sources: Seabed 2030 (21 June 2025): 27.3 % of the ocean floor mapped · Arizona State University (2011): LRO camera team releases global topographic map of the Moon (98.2 %)

Millions, billions, trillions – they all sound the same. Here you see them side by side, to scale and with sources.

  • Football field
  • Stack of $100 bills
  • Distance
  • Seconds
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About SeeTheScale

Understand huge numbers – with pictures instead of zeros

Millions, billions, trillions: beyond a certain size, all numbers sound the same. SeeTheScale turns them into comparisons you can picture – such as the wealth of the richest against an average household, CO₂ per person in the biggest emitting countries or the age of the universe against a human life.

Five views for every order of magnitude

Every comparison can be shown as a stack of paper or 100-unit bills, as an area on a football field, as counting in seconds or as bubbles side by side whose area matches the amount. That way you see how much bigger one thing really is.

With sources, rounded and made to share

The comparisons by the SeeTheScale team name their sources and the year of the data; values are rounded on purpose, because this is about orders of magnitude. Every graphic can be shared as a link or image. With an account you can vote on comparisons and create your own.

Frequently asked questions

What is SeeTheScale?

SeeTheScale is a free website that makes unimaginably large numbers tangible: two values are shown as stacks of bills, a football field, seconds or bubbles side by side, so the difference is visible at a glance.

Where do the numbers come from?

Every comparison by the SeeTheScale team names its sources – such as Our World in Data, Forbes, the Federal Reserve, SIPRI or the German federal budget – and the year of the data. Comparisons made by users link their own sources.

How exact are the values?

The values are rounded. What matters is the order of magnitude: whether something is ten, a thousand or a million times as large.

Can I create my own comparisons?

Yes. With a free account you create your own comparisons with sources, share them by link and vote on the comparisons of others.