Solar System model

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File:Planetarium in Putnam Gallery 2, 2009-11-24.jpg
A 1766 Benjamin Martin mechanical model, or orrery, on display at the Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments

Solar System models, especially mechanical models, called orreries, that illustrate the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons in the Solar System have been built for centuries. While they often showed relative sizes, these models were usually not built to scale. The enormous ratio of interplanetary distances to planetary diameters makes constructing a scale model of the Solar System a challenging task. As one example of the difficulty, the distance between the Earth and the Sun is almost 12,000 times the diameter of the Earth.

If the smaller planets are to be easily visible to the naked eye, large outdoor spaces are generally necessary, as is some means for highlighting objects that might otherwise not be noticed from a distance. The Boston Museum of Science had placed bronze models of the planets in major public buildings, all on similar stands with interpretive labels.[1] For example, the model of Jupiter was located in the cavernous South Station waiting area. The properly-scaled, basket-ball-sized model is 1.3 miles (2.14 km) from the model Sun which is located at the museum, graphically illustrating the immense empty space in the Solar System.

The objects in such large models do not move. Traditional orreries often did move, and some used clockworks to display the relative speeds of objects accurately. These can be thought of as being correctly scaled in time, instead of distance.

Permanent true scale models

Many towns and institutions have built outdoor scale models of the Solar System. Here is a table comparing these models with the actual system.

Name Location Scale:
1 : … 		Sun dia. Earth dia. Sun–Earth Sun–Pluto Description
Actual Solar System 1 1.392 Gm 12.76 Mm 149.6 Gm 5.914 Tm
Sweden Solar System[2] Template:Country data SwedenTemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Stockholm, Sweden 20,000,000 71 m 65 cm 7,600 m 300 km permanent; country-wide (begun 1998)
Solar System Drive[3][4] Template:Flagicon Coonabarabran, Australia 38,000,000 37 m 34 cm 4,100 m 205 km permanent; drivable; non-geodetic (est. 1997)
Space for MUCO project[5] Template:Flagicon

Brussells, Belgium

40,000,000 34.8 m 32 cm 3,730 m 147 km permanent; country wide; non-scale sculptures (est. 2004)
Maine Solar System[6][7] Template:Flagicon Presque Isle, Maine 93,000,000 15 m 13.7 cm 1,600 m 64 km permanent; drivable (est.2003)
Mont Megantic Dark Sky Reserve Great Solar System Template:Flagicon Parc national du Mont-Mégantic, Canada 100,000,000 14 m 12.4 cm 1,450 m 57 km permanent; drivable (est.2018)
Otago Central Interplanetary Cycle Trail[8][9][10] Template:Flagicon Otago Central Rail Trail, New Zealand 100,000,000 13.91 m 12 cm 1,496 m 59.06 km permanent; cyclable (est.2017)
Riverfront Museum Solar System[11][12][13][14] Template:Flagicon Peoria, Illinois 99,000,000 11 m 10.0 cm 1,200 m 47 km permanent; drivable (est. 1992?)
Vienna Solar System Template:Flagicon Vienna, Austria 163,764,706 8.5 m 7.78 cm 913 m 36 km under construction since 2018. Physical + Augmented Reality
Planet Lofoten[15] Template:Flagicon Lofoten, Norway 200,000,000 7 m 6.4 cm 750m 30 km under construction
Planet Trek Dane County Template:Flagicon Madison, Wisconsin 200,000,000 7 m 6.6 cm 777 m 38.3 km permanent; fully accessible by foot and bike paths (est. 2009)
Sunspot Solar System Model[16][17][18][19] Template:Flagicon Sunspot, New Mexico 250,000,000 5.6 m 5.1 cm 1.5 m 23.6 km permanent, drivable
Lethbridge Solar System Model Template:Flagicon Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada 254,000,000 5.5 m 5 cm 500 m 14.7 km (Neptune) permanent, drivable, walkable (est. 2022)
El Sistema Solar de la comarca de Ciudad Rodrigo Template:Flagicon Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain 290,000,000 4.8 m 4.4 cm 1.2 m 25 km permanent, Walk & Drive
If the Earth were a Ping-Pong ballScript error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Flagicon Westminster, London 318,905,000 4.36 m 4 cm ? ? In construction; Walk & Drive (est. 2018) Centered around Deans Yard, Westminster
Moab Scale Model of the Solar System[20] Template:Flagicon Moab, Utah 385,937,677 3.6 m 2.4 cm ? 15.3 km permanent; Walk and Drive (est. 2007)
Light Speed Planet Walk[21] Template:Flagicon Anchorage, Alaska 390,000,000 ? ? ? 16.6 km permanent; drivable (est. 2005)
Community Solar System Trail[22][23] Template:Flagicon Boston, Massachusetts 400,000,000 3.5 m 3.2 cm 380 m 15.3 km permanent; drivable (established in 1997, removed in 2015)
The Solar System to Scale Template:Flagicon Estremoz, Portugal 414,000,000 3.4 m 3.1 cm 361 m 14.3 km permanent; drivable; bikeable
Solar System Stroll[24] Template:Flagicon Bratislava, Slovakia 464,000,000 3 m 2.7 cm 322 m 13 km permanent; bikeable, drivable; under construction since 2024
Somerset Space Walk Template:Flagicon Bridgwater Canal, Somerset, England 530,000,000 2.5 m ? ? 11 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1997)
York's Solar System model Template:Flagicon York, England 575,872,239 2.4 m 2.2 cm 260 m 10.3 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1999)
Traverse Bay Community Solar System[25] Template:Flagicon Traverse City, Michigan 592,763,356 0.9 m ? 209 m 10.0 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2004)
Michigan Solar System Model[26] Template:Flagicon Coleman, Michigan 608,000,000 2.3 m 2.1 cm 324 m 9.8 km permanent; bike trail Sun and Pls. Spheres (2017)
Solar System Template:Flagicon Opava, Czech Republic 627,000,000 2.2 m 2.0 cm 239 m 9.42 km permanent; bikeable; walkable; drivable (est. 2006)
Nine Views Template:Flagicon Zagreb, Croatia 680,000,000 2.0 m 1.9 cm 225 m 8.7 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2004)
Walk the Solar System Template:Flagicon Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada 682,353,000 2.0 m 1.9 cm 219 m 8.6 km under construction
McCarthy Observatory[27] Template:Flagicon New Milford, Connecticut 761,155,000 1.8 m 1.7 cm 195 m 7.1 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2009)
Planet Walk[28] Template:Flagicon Glen Burnie, Maryland. 781,000,000 ? ? 191.5 m 7.56 km Walkable, bikeable (est. 2008). Part of the permanent Baltimore & Annapolis Trail.
Trilho do Sistema Solar Template:Flagicon Paredes de Coura, Portugal 831,000,000 1.675 m 1.533 cm 180 m 5.42 km (Neptune) permanent; walkable; bikeable (est. 2016)
Planetenpad Utrecht Template:Flagicon Utrecht, The Netherlands 1,000,000,000 1.3 m 1.3 cm 150 m 7.4 km (Neptune) Leads from Centre Utrecht to Rhijnauwen, on foot, on bike or on kayak
Model of the Solar System Template:Flagicon Helsinki, Finland 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 149.6 m 6.1 km permanent; bikeable
Planetenmodell Hagen Template:Flagicon Hagen, Germany 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1959)
Planetenweg Schwarzbach Template:Flagicon Kriftel, Germany 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1998)
Uetliberg Planetenweg Template:Flagicon Zürich, Switzerland 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable
Planetenwanderweg Template:Flagicon Ehrenfriedersdorf, Germany 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable
Planetary Trail Template:Flagicon Hradec Králové, Czech Republic 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2005)
Planetary Trail Template:Flagicon Prague, Czech Republic 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 13 km (Sedna as discovered)
5.9 km (Pluto) 		permanent; bike & walk; all objects above 1000km; (est. 13.5.2018)
Melbourne Solar System[29][30] Template:Flagicon Melbourne, Australia 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km (Pluto)
40 140 km (Proxima Centauri) 		permanent; bikeable (est. 2008) Proxima Centauri scale distance calculated travelling Melbourne to Melbourne via the Poles.[31]
Scale Model Solar System[32] Template:Flagicon Eugene, Oregon 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1997)
Planetstien, Sandnes Template:Flagicon Sandnes, Norway 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; walkable, bikeable (est. 2010)
Planetstien, Lemvig Template:Flagicon Lemvig, Denmark 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; walkable
Grand Trunk Pathway Solar System Model Template:Flagicon Terrace, British Columbia 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 6 km permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. 2018)
Planet Walk Template:Flagicon Munich, Germany 1,290,000,000 1.1 m 1.0 cm 116 m 4.6 km permanent; walkable (est. 1995)
Strolling at the speed of light Template:Flagicon La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada 1,500,000,000 0.9 m 0.8 cm 100 m 3 km (Neptune) permanent; walkable (est. 2009) (temp?)
State of the Solar System[33][34][35] Template:Flagicon Bellingham, Washington 1,826,770,000 0.762 m 0.6858 cm 82 m ? permanent; walkable (est. 2016)
Meteoria Söderfjärden Template:Flagicon Vaasa, Finland 2,000,000,000 0.7 m ? ? ? permanent; walkable
Planetenweg Göttingen Template:Flagicon Göttingen, Germany 2,000,000,000 0.70 m 0.65 cm 75 m 3.2 km permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. 2013)
Solar System Walking Tour[36][37][38] Template:Flagicon Gainesville, Georgia 2,000,000,000 0.7 m 0.6 cm 75 m 2.9 km permanent; walkable (est. 2000)
Rymdpromenaden ("Spacewalk") Template:Flagicon Gothenburg, Sweden 2,000,000,000 0.7 m 0.6 cm 75 m 3 km permanent; walkable (est. 1978)
Montshire Museum of Science[39] Template:Flagicon Norwich, Vermont 2,200,000,000 0.6 m 0.6 cm 68 m 2.7 km permanent; walkable
Ride to Pluto: Boise's Solar System[40] Template:Flagicon Boise Greenbelt, Boise, Idaho 2,200,000,000 0.5 m ? ? 2.4 km permanent; walkable & bikeable
The Solar walk[41][42] Template:Flagicon Longview, Washington 2,240,000,000 0.6 m 0.6 cm 56.94 m 2.7 km permanent; walkable (est. 2001)
Akaa Solar System Scale Model Template:Flagicon Akaa, Finland 3,000,000,000 0.46 m 0.4 cm 49.9 m 1.958 km (Pluto)
13 370 km (Proxima Centauri) 		permanent; walkable (est. 2017), Proxima Centauri in Yulara, Australia
Elmhurst Scale Model of the Solar System[43][44] Template:Flagicon Elmhurst, Illinois 3,044,620,000 0.5 m 0.4 cm 49.1 m 1.929 km permanent; walk & drive (est. 2013)
Solar System model group of sculptures Template:Flagicon Kecskemét, Hungary 3,300,000,000 0.418 m 0.4 cm 45 m 1.8 km permanent; walkable (est. 2002)
Milky Way path Template:Flagicon Westerbork, The Netherlands 3,700,000,000 ? ? ? 2.5 km permanent; walkable
Solar Walk Template:Flagicon Gainesville, Florida 4,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 37.4 m 1.5 km permanent; walkable (est. 2002)
Otford Solar System Model [45] Template:Flagicon Otford, England 4,595,700,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 32 m 900 m permanent; walkable; Includes: Proxima Centauri in Los Angeles, USA; Barnard's Star in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands; Sirius in Sydney, Australia; and Ross 154 in Christchurch, New Zealand
Wooster Planet Walk Template:Flagicon Wooster, Ohio 5,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 30 m 1.2 km permanent; walkable (est. 2014)
The Sagan Planet Walk Template:Flagicon Ithaca, New York 5,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 30 m 1.2 km permanent; walkable (est. 1997)
Delmar Loop Planet Walk Template:Flagicon University City, Missouri 5,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.2 cm 30 m 870 m (Neptune) permanent; walkable (est. 2009)
The Solar Walk Template:Flagicon Cleveland, Ohio 5,280,000,000 0.3 m 0.2 cm 28.4 m 1.1 km permanent; walkable
Solar System Walk

An Exploration of Scale

Template:Flagicon Carlsbad, California 5,280,000,000 ? ? 28 m 1.119 km Located near Lake Calavera
O Sistema Solar no Parque[46] Template:Flagicon Natal, Brazil 7,000,000,000 0.2 m 1.8 mm 22 m 875 m permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. June 3rd, 2016)
A True Scale Model of the Solar System[47][48] Template:Flagicon Cookeville, Tennessee 10,000,000,000 0.14 m 0.12 cm 15 m 590 m permanent; walkable (est. 2017)
Voyage National Program [1] Template:Flagicon Template:Ubl

National Mall, Washington, D.C. (2001) Kansas City, Missouri (2008)Space Center Houston, Texas (2008) Corpus Christi, Texas (2009)Boulder, Colorado (2021) Palo Alto, California (2022)[49][50] Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (2022) Ocala, Florida (2022) Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana (2022) Dover, New Hampshire (2023) Spokane, Washington (2022) Memphis, Tennessee (2023) Chalmette, Louisiana (2023) Jonesboro, Arkansas (2023) Troy, New York (2024)

10,000,000,000 0.1 m 0.1 cm 15 m 600 m permanent; walkable; US national program
Lake Innitou Thousand Yard Interplanetary Walk Template:Flagicon Woburn, Massachusetts 10,000,000,000 0.23 m (bowling ball) N/A (stone plaque) 24 m 932 m (1019 yd) permanent; walkable (est. 2004); along the sidewalk by Horn Pond.
NJ Botanical Garden Template:Flagicon Ringwood, New Jersey 10,000,000,000 0.2 m 2.0 cm 23.8 m 927 m walkable
Colorado Scale Model Solar System Template:Flagicon Fiske Planetarium, Boulder, Colorado 10,000,000,000 0.1 m 0.1 cm 15 m 600 m permanent; walkable (est. 1987)
Anstruther Model Solar System Template:Flagicon Anstruther, Scotland 10,000,000,000 0.1 m 0.1 cm 15 m 600 m permanent; walkable (est. 2014)
Le Chemin Solaire Template:Flagicon La Couyère, Brittany 10,000,000,000 1 m 0.1 cm ? 450 m permanent; walkable (est. 2011)
Solar Walk UofT Scarborough Template:Flagicon Toronto, Ontario and Eureka, Nunavut 10,000,000,000 0.14 m 0.13 cm 15 m 591 m permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. 2017)
MIT's Infinite Solar System[51][52][53] Template:Flagicon Cambridge, Massachusetts 30,000,000,000 4.6 cm 0.43 mm 5.0 m 200 m permanent; walkable (est. 2018); along "Infinite Corridor"
Solar System Lawn Model[54] Template:Flagicon Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California 105,000,000,000 1.32 cm 0.12 mm 1.42 m 56 m permanent; walkable; engraved in the front sidewalk

Other models of the Solar System: historic, temporary, virtual, or dual-scale

Name Location Scale Sun dia. Earth dia. Sun-Earth Sun-Pluto Description
Kirkhill model 1776Template:Efn Template:Flagicon Scotland 1:778,268,620.8 1.8 m 1.6 cm 197 m - decayed
Planetenpad Utrecht Template:Flagicon Utrecht, Netherlands 1:1,000,000,000 1.3 m 1.3 cm 150 m 7.4 km (Neptune) Leads from Centre Utrecht to Rhijnauwen, on foot, on bike or by kayak
Planet Walk Malta[1] Template:Flagicon Buġibba, Malta 1:2,956,760,000 (distance) / 695,000,000 (sizes) 2.0 m 1.84 cm 50.60 m 2.0 km (Neptune) Leads from Malta Aquarium west along promenade
Sorghvliet Template:Flagicon The Hague, Netherlands 1:696,000,000 2.0 m 1.8 cm 215 m 6.5 km (Neptune) (temporary)
Sol Chicago[55][56] Template:Flagicon Illinois, Chicago 1:73,660,000 19 m 17.3 cm 2,050 m 61 km (Neptune) (temporary) proposed
Le Chemin des planètes Template:Flagicon Saint-Luc, Switzerland 1:1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km uses two different scales for distance and size
The Madison Planet Stroll[57] Template:Flagicon Madison, Wisconsin 1:4,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 37 m 1.5 km (virtual)
Solar System Stroll Template:Flagicon Perth, Western Australia 1:5,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 30 m 1.2 km permanent; walkable (est. 2016)
The Thousand-Yard Model[58][59] (virtual) 1:6,336,000,000 0.2 m 0.2 cm 25 m 1 km The scale of the planets is the same as the scale between them, and the planets are represented by everyday objects; the Earth is a peppercorn, Jupiter is a walnut, and Neptune is a coffee bean.
(dismantled) Template:Flagicon Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec 1:10,000,000,000 0.1 m 0.1 cm 15 m 0.6 km (dismantled) (est. 1985)
Lafayette Walk Template:Flagicon Detroit, Michigan 1:6,336,000,000 23 cm 0.2 cm 25 m 983 m A walking demonstration of (un)imaginable distances. "It's nowhere near Graham's Number."
Planets on the Path Template:Flagicon Chicago, Illinois 1:2,195,000,000 457 m 13.5 miles (2015, temporary)
The Solar System, to scale, for a school yard PDF for printing 1:11,945,400,000 11.6 cm 0.1 cm 12.5 m 492 m PDFs, A4 and 8½″×11″, to be printed, affixed to cards which are affixed to sticks; then to be held by children standing in a school yard. Includes major moons and asteroids.
Naas Virtual Solar System Template:Flagicon Naas, County Kildare 1 : 154,557,330 9 m 82 mm 968 m 29 km (Neptune) In Ireland, this instantly recognisable roadside spherical sculpture is well known, and is used as the model for the Sun. The website[60] maps out the planetary orbits and shows everyday objects to scale the planets (e.g. a golf ball for Mars)
Saskatoon Solar Walk Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 1 : 1,275,600,000 109 cm 1 cm 110 m 4,500 m Personal and public art installation.
Eise Eisinga Visvliet [61] Template:Flagicon Visvliet, The Netherlands 1: 870,000,000 160 cm 1.5 cm 172 m n/a Permanent installation honouring Eise Eisinga, the creator of the world famous Planetarium in Franeker, who lived in Visviet in 1700. As the original Planetarium only includes the planets up to Saturn, so does this one.

Several sets of geocaching caches have been laid out as Solar System models.

See also

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References

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External links

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Template:Navbox with columns Template:Solar System models

  1. ↑ "Boston Community Solar System" at Waymarking.com.
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