Saturn V vs Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower)
Saturn V (111 m) is 1.15× the size of Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) (96 m).
Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is 87% of the height of Saturn V. The gap between them is 14.6 m (47.9 ft).
The comparison in numbers
| Thing | Size | In feet | Measured as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturn V | 111 m | 363 ft | height |
| Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) | 96 m | 315 ft | height |
What the scale shows
Saturn V (111 m) is 1.15× the size of Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) (96 m). The gap between them is 14.6 m (47.9 ft). One is among the vehicles & ships and the other among the buildings & towers, so the figures are standing in for different kinds of size — read the basis below.
Draw both on one baseline and the smaller one fills 87% of the frame while the larger one runs to the top. The two are close enough that the difference is easy to see side by side.
Read the rest — 8 more sections
What each figure means
The figure for Saturn V is its height (full stack on the pad (363 ft)). The figure for Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is its height (tower height).
Crossing them
Walking pace is 1.4 m/s, so crossing Saturn V's 111 m takes 79 seconds and Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower)'s 96 m takes 69 seconds.
In people: Saturn V is 65 adults of 1.7 m tall, Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is 56.5. By size Saturn V is 6th of the 14 vehicles & ships on this site, while Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is 20th of the 23 buildings & towers.
How to read these two figures
Before trusting any comparison, check what each number measures. The Saturn V is given as a height, full stack on the pad (363 ft). Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is given as a height, tower height. Both are height figures, so putting them on one baseline is a like-for-like comparison, although the exact individual or convention still matters.
Vehicles are listed by overall length. Rockets are the exception and are given as full stack height standing on the pad. Everything is drawn standing upright so one scale holds. Building heights depend on the rule used: architectural height counts spires but not antennas, tip height counts everything. The basis is named with each figure.
Where the pair sits among all the sizes here
Across all 86 things on this site, the Saturn V is number 51 from the top and Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is number 52. No other item falls between them, so in this collection they are direct neighbours.
Because the collection spans 13 mm up to 1,392,700 km, a ratio of 107,130,769,231× from smallest to largest, the position of a pair says a lot: the pair sits in the middle of the range rather than at an extreme.
What the length ratio hides
A length ratio of 1.15× is easy to picture, but area and volume grow faster than length. If two objects had exactly the same shape, the Saturn V would have about 1.33× the surface or footprint of Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower), and about 1.53× the volume. These two are not the same shape, so treat the figures as an upper bound for an imaginary scaled copy, not as a measurement of either one.
The drawing above shows length only. Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is drawn 87% as tall as the Saturn V, but the equivalent share of footprint would be only 75.3%, which is why the smaller one looks even slighter than the numbers alone suggest.
Time to cross each one
A sprinter holding about 10 m/s covers the Saturn V in 11 seconds and Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) in 9.6 seconds. Sound, at about 343 m/s in air, takes 322 milliseconds for the larger and 280 milliseconds for the smaller. A jet cruising at 900 km/h needs 442 milliseconds and 384 milliseconds.
These times assume a straight line and constant speed, which no real crossing has, but they turn a number in metres into something the body understands. At any fixed speed the travel times keep the same 1.15× ratio as the sizes.
The same figures in other units
The Saturn V measures 111 m, which is 363 ft or 121 yards. Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) measures 96 m, which is 315 ft.
The difference between them is 14.6 m (47.9 ft). In metres the smaller one is 96 against 110.6, so the 1.15× ratio holds in every unit; only the numbers on the ruler change.
Questions people ask about this pair
Which is bigger, the Saturn V or Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower)?
The Saturn V is bigger. At 111 m it is 1.15× the size of Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower), which is 96 m.
How many times does Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) fit along the Saturn V?
Less than twice: Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is 87% of the size of the Saturn V, so one fits with 14.6 m to spare.
Are the two figures measured the same way?
Yes in kind: both are height figures. The Saturn V is full stack on the pad (363 ft); Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is tower height.
How does the gap look in people?
Taking an adult of 1.7 m, the Saturn V is about 65 people tall and Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) is about 56.5. The gap of 14.6 m is 8.6 people.
Where do the numbers come from?
Each item has its own page that names the measurement and links to the Wikipedia article it was taken from. Some figures are rounded, and animals vary from one individual to the next, so treat them as representative values rather than records for every case.
How the sizes are taken. Each figure says what it measures — height, length, diameter or elevation — and for which individual or convention. Everything is drawn standing upright on one baseline so a single scale holds, including things that are long rather than tall. Values come from the linked Wikipedia article for each item.