Hubble Space Telescope vs Stegosaurus: longer by how much?
The Hubble Space Telescope measures 13.2 m (43.3 ft) end to end, and a Stegosaurus measures 7 m (23 ft) end to end. A Stegosaurus would have to grow by 89% to match the Hubble Space Telescope, which is 1.89 times its length. Put the other way round, a Stegosaurus covers 53% of the Hubble Space Telescope on the axis both are judged on. The Hubble Space Telescope is written in tens of metres and a Stegosaurus in single metres, a whole band of scale apart.
| Object | Real size | Axis measured | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubble Space Telescope | 13.2 m 43.3 ft |
Length | Whole body or structure, end to end |
| Stegosaurus | 7 m 23 ft |
Length | Average Adult |
Both figures, Hubble Space Telescope and Stegosaurus, come from the Size It Up measurement set, one real-world size and one measured axis per object, last checked in September 2026; outline provenance is listed on the sources page.
Why this one is hard to judge by eye
The Hubble Space Telescope sits in the range with no handy yardstick: too big to hold against anything you have carried, too small to need a horizon, so it and a Stegosaurus end up filed under the same vague heading of very large.
What each figure covers
Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble is measured along the tube, which makes it roughly the size of a bus. The mirror inside is 2.4 m across, and that is the number deciding what it can see.
Stegosaurus. Stegosaurus is quoted nose to tail. The plates along the back are not part of the length, and their arrangement is still argued over.
The Hubble Space Telescope and a Stegosaurus are both quoted as a length, which is what makes the ratio above a like-for-like figure.
What else is about that size?
Measured the same way, Hubble Space Telescope at 13.2 m sits within a tenth of X-wing Starfighter at 12.5 m, Whale Shark at 12.1 m and T. rex at 12 m. Stegosaurus at 7 m has Killer Whale at 7.3 m and Football Goal at 7.56 m for company, within a tenth. Swapping any of those in for the Hubble Space Telescope would move its ratio to a Stegosaurus by less than 10%.