Solar System model
{{Short description|Illustration of the relative positions of the Sun and planets}}
File:Planetarium in Putnam Gallery 2, 2009-11-24.jpg, 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."[https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM7R8M_Boston_Community_Solar_System_Sun_Boston_MA Boston Community Solar System]" at Waymarking.com. 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.
[http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-in-washington-dc/ National Mall, Washington, D.C.] (2001) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-i-communities/kansas-city-kansas-voyage-mark-i/ Kansas City, Missouri] (2008)[http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-i-communities/houston-texas-voyage-mark-i/ Space Center Houston, Texas] (2008) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-i-communities/corpus-christi-texas-voyage-mark-i/ Corpus Christi, Texas] (2009)[http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/boulder-co/ Boulder, Colorado] (2021) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/palo-alto-ca/ Palo Alto, California] (2022){{Cite web |title=The Voyage Scale Model Solar System |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/365/the-voyage-scale-model-solar-system |access-date=2022-09-15 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration|date=27 November 2017 }}{{Cite journal |last=Bennett |first=J. |date=2020-01-01 |title=Voyage Mark II — Scale Model Solar Systems at Moderate Prices |journal=American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #235 |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020AAS...23523906B |volume=235 |pages=239.06 |bibcode=2020AAS...23523906B}} [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/broken-arrow-ok/ Broken Arrow, Oklahoma] (2022) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/ocala-fl/ Ocala, Florida] (2022) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/lake-charles-la/ Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana] (2022) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/dover-nh/ Dover, New Hampshire] (2023) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/spokane-wa/ Spokane, Washington] (2022) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/memphis-tn/ Memphis, Tennessee] (2023) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/chalmette-la/ Chalmette, Louisiana] (2023) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/jonesboro-ar/ Jonesboro, Arkansas] (2023) [http://voyagesolarsystem.org/community-network/voyage-mark-ii-communities/troy-ny/ Troy, New York] (2024)
|align=right| 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
|{{Flagicon|USA}} 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
| {{flagicon|USA}} Ringwood, New Jersey
|align=right| 10,000,000,000
| 0.2 m
| 2.0 cm
| 23.8 m
| 927 m
| walkable
|-
| Colorado Scale Model Solar System
| {{flagicon|USA}} Fiske Planetarium, Boulder, Colorado
|align=right| 10,000,000,000
| 0.1 m
| 0.1 cm
| 15 m
| 600 m
| permanent; walkable (est. 1987)
|-
| Anstruther Model Solar System
| {{flagicon|UK}} Anstruther, Scotland
|align=right| 10,000,000,000
| 0.1 m
| 0.1 cm
| 15 m
| 600 m
| permanent; walkable (est. 2014)
|-
| Le Chemin Solaire
| {{flagicon|France}} La Couyère, Brittany
|align=right| 10,000,000,000
| 1 m
| 0.1 cm
| ?
| 450 m
| permanent; walkable (est. 2011)
|-
| Solar Walk UofT Scarborough
| {{flagicon|Canada}} Toronto, Ontario and Eureka, Nunavut
|align=right| 10,000,000,000
| 0.14 m
| 0.13 cm
| 15 m
| 591 m
| permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. 2017)
|-
| MIT's Infinite Solar System{{cite web |title=Infinite Solar System |url=https://eaps.mit.edu/infinite-solar-system/ |website=MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |access-date=2024-11-19}}{{cite web |last1=Binzel |first1=Richard P. |title=Corralling the cosmos in the Infinite Corridor |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/10/24/132399/corralling-the-cosmos-in-the-infinite-corridor/ |website=MIT Technology Review |access-date=2022-03-05 |language=en |date=October 24, 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Keller |first1=Julia C. |title=An Infinite solar system |url=https://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-infinite-corridor-solar-system-1116 |website=MIT News |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |access-date=2022-03-05 |language=en |date=November 16, 2018}}
| {{flagicon|USA}} Cambridge, Massachusetts
|align=right| 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{{Cite web|title=Solar System Lawn Model |url=https://griffithobservatory.org/exhibits/exterior-exhibits/solar-system-lawn-model/ |website=griffithobservatory.org|access-date=2023-05-29 | language=en-US}}
| {{flagicon|USA}} Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California
|align=right| 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
| class="wikitable collapsible" border="1" style="font-size: 100%"
! Name ! Location ! Scale ! Sun dia. ! Earth dia. ! Sun-Earth ! Sun-Pluto ! Description |
| Kirkhill model 1776{{efn|Possibly the first accurate scale model after the measurement of the astronomical unit in 1769.}}
| {{flagicon|Scotland}} Scotland | 1:778,268,620.8 | 1.8 m | 1.6 cm | 197 m | - | decayed |
| Planetenpad Utrecht
|{{flagicon|Netherlands}} 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[https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/23757/1/Science%20with%20a%20difference%20HSci%202005.pdf]
|{{flagicon|Malta}} 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
| {{flagicon|Netherlands}} The Hague, Netherlands | 1:696,000,000 | 2.0 m | 1.8 cm | 215 m | 6.5 km (Neptune) | (temporary) |
| Sol Chicago{{Cite web |title=Sol Chicago |url=http://www.solchicago.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625231455/http://www.solchicago.com/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |archive-date=2011-06-25 | language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Sol Chicago |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woJKgXufK8c |website=youtube.com/ | date=8 January 2011 |access-date=2024-02-19 | language=en-US}}
| {{flagicon|USA}} Illinois, Chicago | 1:73,660,000 | 19 m | 17.3 cm | 2,050 m | 61 km (Neptune) | (temporary) proposed |
| Le Chemin des planètes
| {{flagicon|Switzerland}} {{nowrap|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{{Cite web |title=Welcome to The Madison Planet Stroll |url=https://www.pbdot3.com/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.idahostatesman.com/ |language=en-US}}
| {{flagicon|USA}} Madison, Wisconsin | 1:4,000,000,000 | 0.3 m | 0.3 cm | 37 m | 1.5 km | (virtual) |
| Solar System Stroll
| {{flagicon|Australia}} 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{{Cite web | title=The Thousand-Yard Model, or, The Earth as a Peppercorn|url= http://www.universalworkshop.com/guy-ottewell/the-thousand-yard-model-or-the-earth-as-a-peppercorn/|access-date=2023-05-29 |website=www.universalworkshop.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web | title=The Thousand-Yard Model, or, The Earth as a Peppercorn | url=https://noirlab.edu/public/products/educational-programs/eduprog032/ | access-date=2023-05-29 | website=noirlab.edu |language=en-US}}
| (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)
| {{flagicon|Canada}} 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
| {{flagicon|USA}} 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
| {{flagicon|USA}} 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
|{{flagicon|Ireland}} 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{{cite web|title=Naas Solar System|accessdate=2023-07-27|url=https://www.naas-solar-system.com/}} maps out the planetary orbits and shows everyday objects to scale the planets (e.g. a golf ball for Mars) |
| Saskatoon Solar Walk
|1 : 1,275,600,000 |109 cm |1 cm |110 m |4,500 m |Personal and public art installation. |
| Eise Eisinga Visvliet {{Cite web |last=Visvliet |first=Eise Eisinga |title=Eise Eisinga Visvliet – Visvliet.com |url=https://eiseeisinga.visvliet.com/ |access-date=2024-05-09 |language=nl-NL}}
|{{flagicon|Netherlands}} 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
{{Portal|Outer space|Solar System}}
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References
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External links
{{Commons category|Solar System models}}
- [http://www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/solarsystem/ A list of websites related to Solar System models]
- [https://www.redpenguin.net/blog/the-otford-solar-system/ The Otford Solar System]
- [http://www.joshworth.com/a-tediously-accurate-map-of-the-solar-system/ An accurate web-based scroll map of the Solar System scaled to the Moon being 1 pixel]
- [http://www.troybrophy.com/projects/solarsystem/ An online scale model] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105170941/http://www.troybrophy.com/projects/solarsystem/ |date=2020-01-05 }} (does not work in some browsers)
- [https://semsystem.net An online 3D model]
- [http://www.aeonmagazine.com/nature-and-cosmos/driving-the-solar-system-is-a-lesson-in-space-and-time/ An article on the Solar System in Maine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010082114/http://www.aeonmagazine.com/nature-and-cosmos/driving-the-solar-system-is-a-lesson-in-space-and-time/ |date=2013-10-10 }}
- [http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/the-planets-line-up-its-st-kilda-in-summer/2005/12/02/1133422111080.html An article about a temporary exhibit in Melbourne, Australia]
- [http://kletzenbauerzeitlichtung.homepage.t-online.de/Texte/Planetenwanderwege/planetenwanderwege.html A map with Solar System models in Germany]
- [http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/ A tool to calculate the diameters and distances needed for an accurate scale model]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR3Igc3Rhfg To Scale: The Solar System] - video of model built in desert with Earth as the size of a marble.
{{Solar System}}
{{Solar System models}}