Solar System model

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.

A 1766 Benjamin Martin mechanical model, or orrery, on display at the Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments

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 has placed bronze models of the planets in major public buildings, all on similar stands with interpretive labels.[1] For example, the model of Jupiter is 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]  Sweden 20,000,000 71 m 65 cm 7,600 m 300 km permanent; country-wide (begun 1998)
Solar System Drive[3] Coonabarabran, Australia 38,000,000 37 m 34 cm 4,100 m 205 km permanent; drivable (est. 1997)
Maine Solar System[4][5] University of 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 Parc national du Mont-Mégantic 100,000,000 14 m 12.4 cm 1,450 m 57 km permanent; drivable (est.2018)
Otago Central Interplanetary Cycle Trail[6][7][8] Otago Central Rail Trail 100,000,000 13.91 m 12 cm 1,496 m 59.06 km permanent; cyclable (est.2017)
Riverfront Museum Solar System[9][10] Peoria, Illinois 125,000,000 11 m 10.0 cm 1,200 m 47 km permanent; drivable (est. 1992?)
Vienna Solar System Vienna, Austria 163,764,706 8.5 m 7.78 cm 913 m 36 km under construction since 2018. Physical + Augmented Reality
Planet Lofoten Lofoten, Norway 200,000,000 7 m  ?  ? 30 km under construction
Planet Trek Dane County 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 Sunspot, New Mexico 250,000,000 5.6 m 5.1 cm 1.5 m 23.6 km permanent, drivable
Lethbridge Solar System Model 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 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 ball Westminster, London 318,905,000 4.36 m 4 cm  ?  ? In construction; Walk & Drive (est. 2018) Centered around Deans Yard, Westminster
Light Speed Planet Walk Anchorage, Alaska 350,000,000  ?  ?  ? 16.6 km permanent; drivable (est. 2005)
Moab's Scale Model of the Solar System Moab, Utah 400,000,000 3.6 m  ?  ? 15.3 km permanent; Walk and Drive (est. 2007)
Community Solar System Trail 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 Estremoz, Portugal 414,000,000 3.4 m 3.1 cm 361 m 14.3 km permanent; drivable; bikeable
Somerset Space Walk Bridgwater Canal, Somerset UK 530,000,000 2.5 m  ?  ? 11 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1997)
York’s Solar System model 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 Traverse City, Michigan 592,763,356 0.9 m  ? 209 m 10.0 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2004)
Michigan Solar System Model 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 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 Zagreb, Croatia 680,000,000 2.0 m 1.9 cm 225 m 8.7 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2004)
Walk the Solar System Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada 682,353,000 2.0 m 1.9 cm 219 m 8.6 km under construction
McCarthy Observatory New Milford, Connecticut 761,155,000 1.8 m 1.7 cm 195 m 7.1 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2009)
Planet Walk 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 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 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 Helsinki, Finland 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 149.6 m 6.1 km permanent; bikeable
Planetenmodell Hagen Hagen, Germany 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1959)
Planetenweg Schwarzbach Kriftel, Germany 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1998)
Uetliberg Planetenweg Zurich, Switzerland 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable
Planetenwanderweg Ehrenfriedersdorf, Germany 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable
Planetary Trail 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 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[11][12] Melbourne, Australia 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2008)
Scale Model Solar System Eugene, Oregon 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1997)
Planetstien, Sandnes Sandnes, Norway 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; walkable, bikeable (est. 2010)
Planetstien, Lemvig 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 Terrace, British Columbia 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 6 km permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. 2018)
Planet Walk 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 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 Bellingham, Washington 1,826,770,000 0.762 m 0.6858 cm 82 m  ? permanent; walkable (est. 2016)
Meteoria Söderfjärden Vaasa, Finland 2,000,000,000 0.7 m  ?  ?  ? permanent; walkable
Planetenweg Göttingen 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 Gainesville, Georgia 2,000,000,000 0.7 m 0.6 cm 75 m 2.9 km permanent; walkable (est. 2000)
Rymdpromenaden ("Spacewalk") Gothenburg, Sweden 2,000,000,000 0.7 m 0.6 cm 75 m 3 km permanent; walkable (est. 1978)
Montshire Museum of Science 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 Boise Greenbelt, Boise, Idaho 2,200,000,000 0.5 m  ?  ? 2.4 km permanent; walkable & bikeable
The Solar walk Longview, Washington 2,240,000,000 0.6 m 0.6 cm  ? m 2.7 km permanent; walkable (est. 2001)
Akaa Solar System Scale Model Akaa, Finland 3,000,000,000 0.46 m 0.4 cm 49.9 m 1.958 km permanent; walkable (est. 2017), Proxima Centauri in Yulara, Australia
Elmhurst Scale Model of the Solar System 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 Kecskemét, Hungary 3,300,000,000 0.418 m 0.4 cm 45 m 1.8 km permanent; walkable (est. 2002)
Milky Way path Westerbork, The Netherlands 3,700,000,000  ?  ?  ? 2.5 km permanent; walkable
Solar Walk 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 Otford, England 4,595,700,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 32 m 900 m permanent; walkable
Wooster Planet Walk 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 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 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 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

 Carlsbad, California 5,280,000,000  ?  ? 28 m 1.119 km Located near Lake Calavera
O Sistema Solar no Parque Natal, Brazil 7,000,000,000 0.2 m 1.8 mm 22 m 875 m permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. June 3rd, 2016)
Voyage
[13][14]		 10,000,000,000 0.1 m 0.1 cm 15 m 600 m
NJ Botanical Garden Ringwood, New Jersey 10,000,000,000 0.2 m 2.0 cm 23.8 m 927 m walkable
Colorado Scale Model Solar System 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 Anstruther, Scotland 10,000,000,000 0.1 m 0.1 cm 15 m 600 m permanent; walkable (est. 2014)
Le Chemin Solaire La Couyère, Brittany 10,000,000,000 1 m 0.1 cm  ? 450 m permanent; walkable (est. 2011)
Solar Walk UofT Scarborough 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 Cambridge, Massachusetts 30,000,000,000 4.6 cm 0.43 mm 5.0 m 200 m permanent; walkable (est. 2018); along "Infinite Corridor"

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 1776[lower-alpha 2] Scotland 1:778,268,620.8 1.8 m 1.6 cm 197 m - decayed
Planetenpad Utrecht 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 on kayak
Sorghvliet The Hague, Netherlands 1:696,000,000 2.0 m 1.8 cm 215 m 6.5 km (Neptune) (temporary)
Sol Chicago Illinois, Chicago 1:73,660,000 19 m 17.3 cm 2,050 m 61 km (Neptune) (temporary) proposed
Le Chemin des planètes 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 Madison, Wisconsin 1:4,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 37 m 1.5 km (virtual)
Solar System Stroll 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 (virtual) 1:6,336,000,000 0.2 m 0.2 cm 25 m 1 km (virtual)
(dismantled) 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 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 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 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 known to all, and is used as the model for the Sun. The website maps out the planetary orbits and shows everyday objects to scale the planets (e.g. a golf ball for Mars)

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

See also

References
  1. Power & Light District to Union Station
  2. Possibly the first accurate scale model after the measurement of the astronomical unit in 1769.
  1. Boston Community Solar System at Waymarking.com
  2. "Sweden Solar System |" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  3. "Worlds Largest Virtual Solar System Drive". www.visitnsw.com. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  4. Bayly, Julia (2021-08-18). "Here's how you can visit the solar system in Maine, no rocket ship required". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  5. "Maine Solar System Model". Maine Solar System Model. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  6. Jones, Pam (2017-03-16). "Solar system to scale on Rail Trail". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  7. Williams, Katarina (2016-11-12). "Otago Central rail trail to become 100 million to one model replica of the Solar System". Stuff. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  8. "An Interplanetary Ride". Otago Central Rail Trail. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  9. "Community Solar System Scale Model | Museum & Informal Education Alliance". informal.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  10. Schoenheider, Jon. "Interplanetary 5K takes runners across the solar system". www.25newsnow.com. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  11. museumoflost (2018-04-05). "The St Kilda Solar System". The Museum of Lost Things. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  12. "Nick visits the Melbourne Solar System trail, finds six planets, loses Neptune and takes a surprise trip to Proxima Centauri". Observations. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  13. "The Voyage Scale Model Solar System". NASA Solar System Exploration. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  14. Bennett, J. (2020-01-01). "Voyage Mark II — Scale Model Solar Systems at Moderate Prices". American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #235. 235: 239.06. Bibcode:2020AAS...23523906B.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Solar System models.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.