Total length50 millionths m
2.8 quadrillionthsLight-minutes
167 quadrillionthsLight-seconds
173,611Gold atoms
About 50 micrometers
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Human Sperm Cell
The smallest human cell with the biggest ambition/Microscopic Life
The human sperm cell is one of the smallest cells in the body yet one of the most determined. At about 50 micrometers long (mostly tail), it must navigate a distance equivalent to a human swimming from Los Angeles to Hawaii, relative to its size. Each one carries half the genetic blueprint for a new human, and yet approximately 250 million of them will fail on every attempt. Natural selection starts early.
Measurements
Swimming speed30 millionths m/s
30.6 billionthsSR-71 Blackbirds
278 billionthsPeregrine falcons
About 3 mm per minute
Mass30 quadrillionths kg
574 septillionthsTitanics
300 trillionthsHoneybee weights
1 quadrillionthsLabrador retrievers
About 30 picograms
Head length5 millionths m
14.6 millionthsOscar statuettes
90.9 millionthsPink erasers
About 5 micrometers
Tail length45 millionths m
180 millionthsScrewdriver lengths
301 quintillionthsAstronomical units
75 millionthsTumbleweed diameters
About 45 micrometers