Building a scale model of our solar system in the desert is an eye-opening exercise

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/12/12/building-a-scale-model-of-our.html

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I think the same(?) guy has done this at Burning Man before…I seem to recall seeing it in 2004, I think…

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That’s a good project. Thanks.

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This is something I love in DC. In front of the air and space museum (I think that’s where it starts) is the sun, about the size of a grapefruit. Then you walk down the mall through a scale version of the solar system, ending, because the display was made before 2002, with little pluto. It’s a good couple miles, I think.

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I feel really small now… :confused:

Cool idea, though. I love this kind of thing.

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Eugene, Oregon has one permanently installed. The inner planets are in all one of the central parks, and the outer planets are scattered around town.

http://members.efn.org/~jack_v/

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Michigan’s Pere Marquette Rail-Trail from Clare to Midland has a similar model as well, with the sun placed in Coleman and the planets eastward.

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“Building a scale model of our solar system in the desert is an eye-opening exercise” especially Uranus. Here all week. Try the steak! :grin:

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I wonder if this is what the GZA meant “That’s like going to Venus driving a mercury…”

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Oh, hey, look, a repost. Love it, though, so worth a second viewing.

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In the desert.

Any animal droppings in the area can be called ass-teroids.

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Boston has one, too, although apparently some of the planets are no longer on display, having been removed over the years.

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Once did the orbits of the inner planets to scale on a 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood. It was an enlightening project which I never took to full completion as a mobile. Maybe someday I’ll try it again.

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There’s one in Ithaca, NY too. http://www.sciencenter.org/sagan-walk.html

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Sweden has one too.

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Seems like someone will use this as an argument for the Flat Earth theory… :slight_smile:

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The thing I absolutely hate about that model, is the line of sight between earth and the sun is broken by a tree. A stupid, careless, “We don’t care” kind of a mistake to make.

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My school did something like that as a school project named “Astropath” in 1987; the scale is 1:5,5238 x 108, which translates to a radius of ca. 10,7 km from “Sun” to “Pluto”.
They used an existing fountain as the sun, hence the odd scale.
The planets are represented by bronze plaques set in the pavement. Each plaque shows a planet to scale.
The plaques are almost in a straight line, and you can walk the length of the model across the city.
Gives you a sense of proportion.

Sun:
imagehttp://unserejp.vs120027.hl-users.com/php/content/images/Astro%201.png

Earth:
imagehttp://unserejp.vs120027.hl-users.com/php/content/images/Erde.jpg

Jupiter:
imagehttp://unserejp.vs120027.hl-users.com/php/content/images/Juipiter.png

You get the idea.

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It certainly puts the Roy Moore thing in perspective.

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I built a 1:1 scale model of the solar system, but my teacher still gave me an F on the assigment. I spent 5.1 billion years making it and missed the due date.

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