Solar system model
Encyclopedia
Orrery
An orrery is a mechanical device that illustrates the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons in the Solar System in a heliocentric model. Though the Greeks had working planetaria, the first orrery that was a planetarium of the modern era was produced in 1704, and one was presented...
s, that illustrate the relative positions and motions of the planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s and moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
s in the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
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
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
of the Solar System a challenging task. As one example of the difficulty, the distance between the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
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 objects in such models do not move. Traditional orreries often did move and some used clockworks to make the relative speeds of objects accurate. These can be thought of as being correctly scaled in time instead of distance.
One 1:6 300 000 000 scale model, designed to be easily replicated, is called The Thousand-Yard Model and spans about a kilometre. In it, the Earth is represented by a peppercorn
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
. A school class building this model might tape the peppercorn to an index card
Index card
An index card consists of heavy paper stock cut to a standard size, used for recording and storing small amounts of discrete data. It was invented by Carl Linnaeus, around 1760....
to make it more visible. Another scale model is the 1:10 000 000 000 model, in which 100 000 km is represented by 1 cm. In this model, the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
is 600m from the Kuiper belt
Kuiper belt
The Kuiper belt , sometimes called the Edgeworth–Kuiper belt, is a region of the Solar System beyond the planets extending from the orbit of Neptune to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, although it is far larger—20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive...
and dwarf planet
Dwarf planet
A dwarf planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be spherical as a result of its own gravity but has not cleared its neighboring region of planetesimals and is not a satellite...
Pluto
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
. The largest scale model in the world is the Sweden Solar System
Sweden Solar System
The Sweden Solar System is the world's largest permanent scale model of the solar system. The sun is represented by the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, the largest hemispherical building in the world. The inner planets can also be found in Stockholm but the outer planets are situated northward in...
.
In July 2005 the Austrian art group monochrom
Monochrom
monochrom is an international art-technology-philosophy group, founded in 1993. Its offices are located at Museumsquartier/Vienna ....
placed the planets true to scale (sun, 4 meters in diameter at Machine Gallery, Alvarado Street, near Echo Park
Echo Park, Los Angeles, California
Echo Park is a hilly neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, northwest of Downtown Los Angeles and southeast of Hollywood.-History:At the end of the 19th century, when the hills were still covered with native vegetation, a horse-drawn streetcar line served the dirt road that is now Echo Park Avenue...
) throughout the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
cityscape. Then they conducted an 'illegal space car race' through the Solar System.
In regional Australia, in the area surrounding Coonabarabran (Australia's Astronomy Capital) there is a model Solar System that reaches from the Observatory (The Sun) to surrounding towns and localities.
In the US, a precedent-setting model Solar System project the Voyage National Program began with installation of Voyage on the National Mall in Washington, DC, in front of the Smithsonian museums. It is a 1:10 000 000 000 scale model approved by the US Commission of Fine Arts and National Capital Planning Commission. It was designed for replication and permanent installation in communities across the nation. It was also designed as a center-piece for sustained community-wide science education, embracing a "Learning Community Model" of programming for students, teachers, families, and the public. Grade K-12 lessons available for download enhance the exhibition experience. Voyage is now permanently installed in Kansas City, Houston, and Corpus Christi. It is approved for installation in Des Moines, Orlando, and Baltimore, and a dozen other sites are exploring it as a site feature in their community. For the International Year of Astronomy 2009, Voyage has now become available worldwide as "the Voyage International Program" with storyboard translation into any language. The Voyage National Program also has a Facebook page with photoalbums for all the Voyage communities.
In 2009, to celebrate International Year of Astronomy, the Scottish Solar System project created an approximate scale model of the Solar System, with correctly scaled objects representing the major planets sited temporarily, for Autumn Moonwatch week (Oct 24th - Nov 1st 2009) at the locations of a number of Scottish amateur astronomy groups and societies. In this model the Sun was represented by the main building of Glasgow Science Centre. The Scottish Solar System project was coordinated by Dr Martin Hendry, astronomer at the University of Glasgow, and Glasgow Science Centre. Although the model did not include Pluto (which on the same scale would be located roughly in the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
), its scale of 1:8 200 000 was smaller than any other model listed in the table below. On the same scale the nearest star beyond the Solar System, Proxima Centauri, would still lie nearly 5 million km from Glasgow Science Centre.
Scale models in various locations
Several towns and institutions have built outdoor scale models of the Solar System. Here is a table comparing these models.| Location | Scale | Sun dia. | Earth dia. | Sun-Earth | Sun-Pluto |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual statistics | 1:1 | 1.392 Gm | 12.76 Mm | 149.6 Gm | 5.914 Tm |
| Scottish Solar System Project, (was a temporary installation) | 1:8 200 000 | 170 m | 1.56 m | 18.3 km | 551 km (Neptune) |
| Sweden Solar System Sweden Solar System The Sweden Solar System is the world's largest permanent scale model of the solar system. The sun is represented by the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, the largest hemispherical building in the world. The inner planets can also be found in Stockholm but the outer planets are situated northward in... |
1:20 000 000 | 71 m | 65 cm | 7.6 km | 300 km |
| Solar System Drive, 2007, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia | 1:38 000 000 | 37 m | 34 cm | 4.1 km | 205 km |
| Sol Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (Proposed) | 1:73 660 000 | 18.9 m | 17.3 cm | 2.05 km | 61 km (Neptune) |
| University of Maine at Presque Isle University of Maine at Presque Isle The University of Maine at Presque Isle is part of the University of Maine System. Located in Presque Isle, UMPI offers studies in social and life sciences, business, recreation, education, and natural sciences. Its campus radio station is WUPI.... |
1:93 000 000 | 15 m | 137 mm | 1.6 km | 64 km |
| Peoria, Illinois Peoria, Illinois Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated... |
1:125 000 000 | 11 m | 100 mm | 1.2 km | 47 km |
| Planet Lofoten Planet Lofoten Planet Lofoten is a Land Art Installation of the solar system positioned in the open nature of West Lofoten in Northern Norway.The Planets are made from stone and range in size from Jupiter at several hundred kilograms to Pluto at only a few grams, and ranges within an area of 30 km from Reine... , Lofoten Lofoten Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:... , Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... (under construction) |
1:200 000 000 | 7m | ? | ? | 30km |
| Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... Museum of Science |
1:400 000 000 | 3.5 m | 32 mm | 375 m | 15.3 km |
| Longview Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the "Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area", which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 36,648 at the time of the 2010 census and is the largest city in Cowlitz County... , Lake Sacajawea |
1:?? | 24 inches | 1/4 inch | ? mm | 1.64 miles |
| Somerset Space Walk Somerset Space Walk The Somerset Space Walk is a sculpture trail model of the solar system, located in Somerset, England. The model uses the towpath of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal to display a model of the Sun and its planets in their proportionally correct sizes and distances apart... , Bridgwater and Taunton Canal Bridgwater and Taunton Canal The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal is a canal in the south-west of England between Bridgwater and Taunton, opened in 1827 and linking the River Tone to the River Parrett. There were a number of abortive schemes to link the Bristol Channel to the English Channel by waterway in the 18th and early 19th... , UK – one Sun, two sets of planets |
1:530 000 000 | 2.5 m | ? mm | ? m | 11 km |
| York York York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence... |
1:575 872 239 | 2.417 m | 22.1 mm | 259.73 m | 10.2679 km |
| Nine Views Nine Views Nine Views is an ambiental installation in Zagreb, Croatia which, together with the sculpture Prizemljeno sunce , makes up a consistent model of solar system.... , Zagreb Zagreb Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city... |
1:680 000 000 | 2 m | 1.9 cm | 225 m | 8.7 km |
| Sorghvliet, The Hague The Hague The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam... |
1:696 000 000 | 2 m | 1.8 cm | 215 m | 6466m (Neptune) |
| McCarthy Observatory, New Milford, CT, USA | 1:761 155 000 | 1.8 m | 16.8 mm | 195 m | 7.07 km |
| Model of the Solar System, Helsinki, Finland | 1:1 000 000 000 | 1.40 m | 12.8 mm | 149.6 m | 6.102 km |
| Planetenmedell Hagen, 1959, Hagen, Germany | 1:1 000 000 000 | 1.39 m | 1.27 cm | 150 m | 5.9 km |
| Zurich, Uetliberg Planetenweg, Switzerland | 1:1 000 000 000 | 1.39 m | 13 mm | 150 m | 5.9 km |
| Saint-Luc, Le Chemin des planètes, Switzerland | 1:1 000 000 000 | 1.39 m | 13 mm | 150 m | 5.9 km |
| Planetenwanderweg, Germany | 1:1 000 000 000 | 1.39 m | 13 mm | 150 m | 5.9 km |
| Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic | 1:1 000 000 000 | 1.39 m | 12.8 mm | 150 m | 5.9 km |
| St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia | 1:1 000 000 000 | 1.39 m | 12.8 mm | 150 m | 5.9 km |
| Eugene, Oregon Eugene, Oregon Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S... |
1:1 000 000 000 | 1.39 m | 12 mm | 150 m | 5.9 km |
| Planet Walk, Munich, Germany | 1:1 290 000 000 | 1.08 m | 9.9 mm | 116 m | 4.57 km |
| Strolling at the speed of light La Malbaie, Québec, Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
1:1 500 000 000 | 92.7 cm | 0.85 mm | 100 m | 3 km (Neptune) |
| Solar System Walking Tour, Gainesville, GA, USA | 1:2 000 000 000 | 70 cm | 6 mm | 75 m | 2.9 km |
| Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, VT, USA | 1:2 200 000 000 | 63 cm | 6 mm | 68 m | 2.7 km |
| Gainesville (FL) Solar Walk | 1:4 000 000 000 | 33.8 cm | 3.2 mm | 37.4 m | 1.479 km |
| The Madison Planet Stroll, 2002, Madison, WI, USA | 1:4 000 000 000 | 35 cm | 3.19 mm | 37 m | 1478 m |
| Otford Solar System Model | 1:4 590 000 000 | 30 cm | 2.7 mm | 32 m | 983 m |
| The Sagan Planet Walk, Ithaca, NY | 1:5 000 000 000 | 27.8 cm | 2.5 mm | 30 m | 1.18 km |
| Delmar Loop Planet Walk, University City, MO | 1:5 000 000 000 | 27.8 cm | 2.5 mm | 30 m | 877 m (Neptune) |
| Jodrell Bank Jodrell Bank The Jodrell Bank Observatory is a British observatory that hosts a number of radio telescopes, and is part of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester... |
1:5 000 000 000? | 30 cm? | 2.5 mm? | 30 m? | 1 km? |
| The Solar Walk, Cleveland, Ohio, USA | 1:5 280 000 000 | 26.4 cm | 2.4 mm | 28.4 m | 1121 m |
| The Thousand-Yard Model | 1:6 336 000 000 | 20.3 cm | 2 mm | 25 m | 983 m |
| Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is a parish in the regional county municipality of Témiscouata, Quebec, near the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Canada... (ca. 1985) |
1:10 000 000 000 | 13.9 cm | 1.2 mm | 15 m | 590 m |
| Fiske Planetarium, Colorado University, 1987, Boulder, CO, USA | 1:10 000 000 000 | 13.9 cm | 1.2 mm | 15 m | 590 m |
| Voyage, National Mall, 2001, Washington, DC, USA | 1:10 000 000 000 | 13.9 cm | 1.2 mm | 15 m | 590 m |
| Voyage, Power&Light District to Union Station, 2008, Kansas City, Missouri, USA | 1:10 000 000 000 | 13.9 cm | 1.2 mm | 15 m | 590 m |
| Voyage, Space Center Houston, 2008, Houston, Texas, USA | 1:10 000 000 000 | 13.9 cm | 1.2 mm | 15 m | 590 m |
| Voyage, Corpus Christi historic waterfront, 2009, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA | 1:10 000 000 000 | 13.9 cm | 1.2 mm | 15 m | 590 m |
| Voyage, State Capitol Grounds, projected for 2009, Des Moines, Iowa, USA | 1:10 000 000 000 | 13.9 cm | 1.2 mm | 15 m | 590 m |
| Voyage, Inner Harbor, projected for 2010, Baltimore, Maryland, USA | 1:10 000 000 000 | 13.9 cm | 1.2 mm | 15 m | 590 m |
| Le Chemin Solaire, 2011, La Couyère, Brittany, France | 1:22 000 000 000 | 1 m | - | - | - |
A model based on a classroom globe
Globe
A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...
s are 41 cm (16 inches) in diameter. If the Earth were reduced to this size, the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
would be a 10 cm (4 in) baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
floating 12 metres (40 feet) away. The Sun would be a beach ball
Beach ball
A beach ball is an inflatable ball for beach and water games. Their large size ball and light weight take little effort to propel; they travel very slowly and generally must be caught with two hands, making them ideal for lazy games and for children...
14 stories tall (somewhat smaller than the Spaceship Earth
Spaceship Earth (Disney)
Spaceship Earth is the iconic and symbolic structure of Epcot, a theme park that is part of the Walt Disney World Resort. One of the most recognizable structures at the Walt Disney World Resort, it is not only the centerpiece and main focal point of Epcot, but also the name of the attraction housed...
ride at Epcot
Epcot
Epcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...
) floating 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away. While a complete model to this scale has never been built, a Solar System built centered in Washington DC, London, or Sydney, to that scale (approximately 1:31 000 000) would look like this:
| Body | Diameter | object comparison | Semi-major axis Semi-major axis The major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter, a line that runs through the centre and both foci, its ends being at the widest points of the shape... |
scale model location (U.S.) | scale model location (U.K.) | scale model location (Australia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields... |
44.6 m (146 ft) | 14 story tall sphere, Spaceship Earth (Epcot) | zero | White House White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical... , Washington DC |
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality... |
Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957... |
| Mercury Mercury (planet) Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits... |
15 cm (6 in) | large grapefruit | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) | National Air and Space Museum National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and... |
Covent Garden Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as... |
Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales Elizabeth Bay is a harbourside suburb in eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Elizabeth Bay is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney.... |
| Venus Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows... |
38 cm (15 in) | beach ball Beach ball A beach ball is an inflatable ball for beach and water games. Their large size ball and light weight take little effort to propel; they travel very slowly and generally must be caught with two hands, making them ideal for lazy games and for children... |
3.5 km (2.2 mi) | John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame The John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame is a presidential memorial at the gravesite of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, in Arlington National Cemetery. The permanent site replaced a temporary grave and eternal flame used during President Kennedy's funeral on November 25, 1963. The site was designed by... , Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great... |
Regent's Park Regent's Park Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden... |
Sydney Football Stadium |
| Earth Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets... |
41 cm (16 in) | classroom globe | 4.8 km (3.0 mi) | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to... |
Tower of London Tower of London Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space... |
Rozelle Hospital |
| Moon Moon The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more... |
10 cm (4 in) | baseball | 12 m (40 ft) from Earth | |||
| Mars Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance... |
23 cm (9 in) | dodgeball Dodgeball Dodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport with modified rules that is often played in physical education classes and has been featured... |
7.2 km (4.5 mi) | Rock Creek Park Golf Course | King's College London King's College London King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and... |
Bondi Beach, New South Wales Bondi Beach, New South Wales Bondi Beach is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, Australia. Bondi Beach is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Eastern Suburbs... |
| Ceres | 3 cm (1 in) | golf ball Golf ball A golf ball is a ball designed to be used in the game of golf.Under the Rules of Golf, a golf ball weighs no more than 1.620 oz , has a diameter not less than 1.680 in , and performs within specified velocity, distance, and symmetry limits... |
13.3 km (8.3 mi) | |||
| Jupiter Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,... |
4.55 m (15 ft) | sphere as wide as 5 minivans | 24.9 km (15.5 mi) | George Mason University George Mason University George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County... , Fairfax, Virginia |
London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe... |
Scotland Island, New South Wales Scotland Island, New South Wales Scotland Island is an island in the north of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Church Point, Scotland Island's major mainland service locality, is located 32 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Pittwater Council.- Geography and... |
| Saturn Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,... |
3.81 m (12 ft 6 in) | sphere a little taller than a basketball hoop | 45.5 km (28.3 mi) | Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County... , Triangle, Virginia |
Luton Luton Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000.... , Bedfordshire |
Copacabana, New South Wales Copacabana, New South Wales Copacabana is a suburb located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, as part of the City of Gosford local government area. Copacabana is situated at the northern end of Macmasters Beach, the two beaches divided by Cochrone Lagoon... |
| Uranus Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus... |
1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | average 8th grade boy | 92.2 km (57.3 mi) | Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen, Maryland, . Part of the facility is a census-designated place , which had a population of 3,116 at the 2000 census.- History :... , Aberdeen, Maryland |
Waterlooville Waterlooville Waterlooville is a town in Hampshire, England approximately 8 miles north of Portsmouth.The town has a population itself of about 10,000 and is surrounded by Purbrook, Blendworth, Cowplain, Lovedean, Clanfield, Catherington, Crookhorn, Denmead, Hambledon, Horndean and Widley. It forms part of... , Hampshire |
Bombo, New South Wales Bombo, New South Wales .Bombo is a suburb of the Municipality of Kiama, in the Illawarra Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located just 2 kilometres from Kiama. Bombo is the gateway between Kiama and its northern suburbs, Kiama Downs and Minnamurra. A newly built section of the Princes Highway runs through... |
| Neptune Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times... |
1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) | average 6th grade boy | 144.4 km (89.7 mi) | Newark, Delaware Newark, Delaware Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :... |
Calais Calais Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras.... , France |
Nelson Bay, New South Wales Nelson Bay, New South Wales Nelson Bay is a suburb of the Port Stephens Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on a bay of the same name on the southern shore of Port Stephens about by road north-east of Newcastle, its nearest rail link. At the 2006 census, Nelson Bay had a... |
| Pluto Pluto Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun... |
7 cm (3 in) | baseball | 190 km (118 mi) | Wildwood, New Jersey Wildwood, New Jersey Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a popular summer resort destination. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's year-round population was 5,325... |
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme Saint-Valery-sur-Somme Saint-Valery-sur-Somme is a commune in the Somme department. The village is a popular tourist destination because of its medieval character and ramparts, Gothic church and long waterside boardwalk.-Geography:... , France |
Bulahdelah, New South Wales |
| Eris Eris (dwarf planet) Eris, formal designation 136199 Eris, is the most massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the ninth most massive body known to orbit the Sun directly... |
8 cm (3 in) | billiard ball Billiard ball A billiard ball is a small, hard ball used in cue sports, such as carom billiards, pool, and snooker. The number, type, diameter, color, and pattern of the balls differ depending upon the specific game being played... |
325 km (202 mi) | Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated... , New York |
Rotterdam Rotterdam Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre... , Netherlands |
Port Macquarie, New South Wales Port Macquarie, New South Wales Port Macquarie is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The city is located on the coast, at the mouth of the Hastings River, and has an estimated population of 44,313.... |
| α Centauri A | 49.5 m (162 ft) | sphere as wide as 4 school buses | 1,323,500 km (822,400 mi) | over 3 times the distance to the moon | over 3 times the distance to the moon | over 3 times the distance to the moon |
If the scale of the above model is increased to 1:310 000 000, i.e. all distances and sizes reduced by a factor of 10, then the Earth and Venus can be modeled by ping pong balls, the Moon and smaller planets by various size marbles
Marbles
A marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
or lumps of modeling clay, the gas giants by balloons or larger playing balls, and a circle the diameter of the Sun can be drawn on the floor of most classrooms. The scale distance to α Centauri would be 1/3 of the way to the Moon.
A model based on a sports field
Relating the size of the Solar System to familiar objects can make it easier for students to grasp the relative distances. Most American schools have a football fieldAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
associated with the high school (100 yards or 92 meters long). Other schools may have a soccer field
Association football pitch
An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...
nearby (90 to 120 m long). If the Sun was reduced to slightly less than one inch (21 mm), Pluto
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
would be a 0.002 inch (0.05 mm) speck floating 100 yards (91.4 meters) away. Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
would be less than three-thirty-secondths of an inch (2.38 mm) in diameter and would sit on the 13 yd (11.88 m) line. Uranus
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...
would be less than one-thirty-secondth of an inch (0.79 mm) sitting nearly on the 50 yd (45.72 m) line. At that scale, the speed of light would be about 1 inch every 5 seconds (5 mm per second). Light takes about 5.5 hours to go from the Sun to Pluto.
Here is what the Solar System built to that scale would look like. This complete model would be simple to make with scale planets taped to wood stakes or metal rods. The scale is approximately 1:64 700 000 000.
| Body | Diameter | Semi-major axis Semi-major axis The major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter, a line that runs through the centre and both foci, its ends being at the widest points of the shape... |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields... |
0.85 in (21.5 mm) | zero |
| Mercury Mercury (planet) Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits... |
0.003 in (0.08 mm) | 1.0 yd (0.9 m) |
| Venus Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows... |
0.007 in (0.19 mm) | 1.9 yd (1.7 m) |
| Earth Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets... |
0.008 in (0.20 mm) | 2.5 yd (2.3 m) |
| Mars Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance... |
0.004 in (0.10 mm) | 3.8 yd (3.5 m) |
| Ceres 1 Ceres Ceres, formally 1 Ceres, is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System and the only one in the asteroid belt. With a diameter of about 950 km, Ceres is by far the largest and most-massive asteroid, comprising about a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Discovered on 1 January 1801... |
0.001 in (0.02 mm) | 7.0 yd (6.4 m) |
| Jupiter Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,... |
0.085 in (2.16 mm) | 13.1 yd (12.0 m) |
| Saturn Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,... |
0.071 in (1.8 mm) | 24.2 yd (22.1 m) |
| Uranus Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus... |
0.029 in (0.73 mm) | 48.6 yd (44.4 m) |
| Neptune Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times... |
0.028 in (0.7 mm) | 76.1 yd (69.6 m) |
| Pluto Pluto Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun... |
0.002 in (0.05 mm) | 100.0 yd (91.4 m) |
| Eris | 0.002 in (0.05 mm) | 171.4 yd (156.7 m) |
| α Centauri A | 0.94 in (23.9 mm) | 396 mi (637 km) |
A model for primary school children
Relating the size of objects to the planets can be difficult for children, particularly if the objects are so small that they cannot be seen. The Scale below is 10 x (times) the scale above, which is a convenient size, virtually all of the objects can be seen. At this scale the distance from the sun to Pluto is just under 1 km (metric units only). At this scale, the speed of light would be about 50 mm per second. Light takes about 5.5 hours to go from the Sun to Pluto. The scale is approximately 1:6 470 000 000. At this scale the SunSun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
could be represented by a children's soccer ball, and α Centauri A is about the size of an adult soccer ball. The smaller planets are about the size of "ice cream sprinkles
Sprinkles
Sprinkles are very small pieces of confectionery used as a decoration or to add texture to desserts—typically cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and some puddings...
" (which vary in size from less than 1mm to close to 2mm). Even at this scale α Centauri A is on another continent or at the centre of the earth, a distance of about 6,300km.
| Body | Diameter | Semi-major axis Semi-major axis The major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter, a line that runs through the centre and both foci, its ends being at the widest points of the shape... |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields... |
(215 mm) | zero |
| Mercury Mercury (planet) Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits... |
(0.8 mm) | (9 m) |
| Venus Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows... |
(1.9 mm) | (17 m) |
| Earth Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets... |
(2 mm) | (23 m) |
| Mars Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance... |
(1 mm) | (35 m) |
| Ceres 1 Ceres Ceres, formally 1 Ceres, is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the Solar System and the only one in the asteroid belt. With a diameter of about 950 km, Ceres is by far the largest and most-massive asteroid, comprising about a third of the mass of the asteroid belt. Discovered on 1 January 1801... |
(0.2 mm) | (64 m) |
| Jupiter Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,... |
(21.6 mm) | (120 m) |
| Saturn Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,... |
(18 mm) | (221 m) |
| Uranus Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus... |
(7.3 mm) | (444 m) |
| Neptune Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times... |
(7 mm) | (696 m) |
| Pluto Pluto Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun... |
(0.5 mm) | (914 m) |
| Eris | (0.5 mm) | (1 567 m) |
| α Centauri A | (239 mm) | (6 370 km) |
Children can have some fun with this model, for example Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
could be a small red sprinkle while Earth might be a larger blue sprinkle. Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
might be smaller. Children can look for two small red sprinkles for Mercury and Mars. To maintain relativities Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
should be slightly smaller than Mars etc. The objects can be assembled in the classroom and then taken outside to a large park.
Misleading models
External links
- A list of websites related to Solar System models
- An online scale model (does not work in some browsers)
- An online 3D model
- An article about a temporary exhibit in Melbourne, Australia
- A map with Solar System models in Germany
- A tool to calculate the diameters and distances needed for an accurate scale model