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Worlds Largest Scale Model Solar System?

Posted by timothy on from the not-polite-to-add-your-own-planets dept.

Richard_at_work writes "As the BBC is reporting, the UK is to attempt to create the worlds largest scale model of the solar system ever attempted. At a scale of 1:15million, this brings the distance between the Sun (positioned in Cheshire at the Jodrell Bank Telescope site) and the Earth to 15km or 10 miles, although you will need to travel the entire length of the UK to visit all of the planets. Interesting to note is the distinct lack of a 10th planet :) As well as the 9 planets and the sun, also shown on the model will be Halleys Comet and several asteroids. Would have been great if they had included probes such as Voyager 1." Maybe this claimant for world's largest solar system model will have to expand to keep up.

4 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. Great for distance comparison, but thats it! by pholower · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is a fantastic idea for a realistic idea of how great the distances are from planet to planet, and from earth to the sun, but that is about the only thing I can see this being used for. I see this as an over-rated tourist attraction more than anything.

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    1. Re:Great for distance comparison, but thats it! by gnu-generation-one · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "This seems like something more appropriate for the American Highway system"

      The biggest scale model you could build in the USA would be about 2600km across, making it about 1:1E+6 scale. But to do that, you'd need a scale model of the sun that's 1300 metres in diameter.

      Thinking about the technology that the USA has, you could probably make a glowing ball of fire that's 1.3km across, but I'd rather you didn't...

    2. Re:Great for distance comparison, but thats it! by Flingles · · Score: 2, Interesting

      LOL My science teacher spent two lessons doing this certain project. He gave each group of 4 an A2 piece of paper, and a sheet of the distances and sizes of objects in the solar system. We were to create the largest scale model we could and when our science teacher (probably laughing in his mind) asked us where we would set this up we said on the school oval. Turns out, in our scale pluto is a piece of paper 2cm(under 1") in radius, and would have to be placed 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) away. Obviously we didn't ever finish our scale models but it was funny when we realised we were never supposed to.

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  2. Curvature of the earth ? by ThomasFlip · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Did they take the curvature of the earth into account? I didn't think so.

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