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That is a fantastic visualization to get a feeling of the scales involved.

It reminds me a lot of the "planet trail" next to Zurich, Switzerland, a trail with scale models of the sun and the planets [1]. The sun is about 1m in diameter. The earth is about 1cm in diameter, 100 or 200m away. Pluto is more than 3km down the path. Walking down that trail was the first time I realized how empty the solar system really is, and how far the giant planets really are. I highly recommend it to anyone having the opportunity, particularly with children. It gives you the same feeling of emptiness, with views of the Alps.

[1] https://www.zuerich.com/en/visit/sport/planet-trail



The world's largest scale model of the solar system is in Sweden and stretches along most of the country: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_Solar_System


I live in Stockholm (close to the sun!) and never knew any of this – thank you so much for sharing, this is awesome!


Sweden packed the inner four planets into Stockholm, with Pluto ending up 300km away. :) The newer dwarf planets and the depiction of the termination shock however let the model expand all the way up to Kiruna.

https://twistedsifter.com/2014/10/the-sweden-solar-system-sc...


That's really cool! I recently stumbled on that installations Halley's Comet here in Skövde :)


Planet Nine would be an interesting addition here.


I was about to write how there is also a planet trail in Göttingen, Germany - but it turns out that there are a LOT of these trails scattered throughout Germany (List in German only [1])

Back in my youth I did not follow this trail actively, but I found it mind-boggling just how far apart from one another I would stumble over one of the planets.

[1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetenweg#Deutschland


Here's the Melbourne Australia version: http://stkildamelbourne.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/So...

I'd prefer a view of the Alps - but a view of the beach isn't too bad.


There is also a land art installation at the scale of 1:200,000,000 in Norway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Lofoten


Also there is a 1:680 000 000 one in Zagreb, Croatia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Views


There's a 40 mile (64 km) model in rural Maine (Route 1 in Aroostook County). The webpage claims it is the largest in the world (obviously not true, at least not as of today). The webpage is also delightfully early-90s-esque. http://pages.umpi.edu/nmms/solar/

Edit: There's a youtube video where some guys made a revolving (but temporary) to-scale model in the desert. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj4524AAZdE


There's also one in Munich, starting at the Deutsches Museum and ending at the Zoo (~ 5 km): https://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/exhibitions/natural-scien...


There's one of these in Eau Claire, WI, where I went to college [0]. I used to live across the bike trail from the sun, so I made the walk several times. Always blew my mind.

[0] https://www.visiteauclaire.com/listing/eau-claire-planet-wal...


There's 10 Km one between York (England) and Selby, a cycle path. I had a tyre puncture near Pluto...


Yet another one - on a smaller scale on the sea front in Ventnor - Isle of Wight, UK:

http://stokeywalk.blogspot.com/2015/12/launching-solar-syste...


Here's a video of something similar where they constructed a scale model of the universe in the desert: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Kj4524AAZdE


There is the Otford Solar System in Kent, England which claims to be the largest in the world:

http://www.solarsystem.otford.info/


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


Just to add to the cacophony, there is one between Gif-sur-Yvette and Bures-sur-Yvette, Paris area. Its a nice walk for anyone close to the Paris-Saclay research center.





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