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Earth radius is the distance from Earth's center to its surface, about 6,371 km (3,959 mi). This length is also used as a unit of distance, especially in astronomy and geology, where it is usually denoted by R⊕.
A span is the distance measured by a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. In ancient times, a span was considered to be half a cubit. Sometimes the distinction is made between the great span (thumb to little finger) and little span (index finger to little finger).