Build a Solar System Model | Exploratorium

10/16/12 11:30 AM

Make a scale model of the Solar System and learn the REAL
definition of "space."
This Page requires a JavaScript capable browser.

Fill in the diameter of the Sun you want your model to be scaled by. You can fill
in either the red bordered inches box or the green bordered millimeters box.
Important: Only fill in one box. If both are filled in you will get a dialog box
asking you to clear one of the boxes. Use the Clear button to clear the entire
form.
Click on the "Calculate" button.
Notice that the distances and sizes of the planets will automatically fill in. I've
also provided some other interesting scale comparisons at the bottom of the
chart.
You can now build your scale model. You can do this with a long tape measure,
or you can measure the size of your pace and walk it off counting the number of
steps you take. To mark a planet's place you can use a piece of paper on a post
that you stick into the ground, or you can use a flag, or even a person. Be
prepared for a long walk!
If you build your solar system on a roll of toilet paper, you can make the Sun
about .4 inches (10 mm) across and still fit the entire solar system on the roll. A
standard roll of toilet paper has about 450 sheets that are about 4.375 inches
long, hence the roll is about 164 feet long. You should check your toilet paper
for length. Some are longer.
You can click on the names of the planets and satellites to go the the Nine
Planets web site page about them. LOTS of info there!

Solar System Model

Scaled
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/

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Build a Solar System Model | Exploratorium

Body
Diam
(in)

Body
Diam
(mm)

152.3

Mercury 4866

0.0209

0.5

57950000

20

ft

9.8

in

6.344

Venus

12106

0.0521

1.3

108110000

38

ft

10.02

in

11.837

Earth

12742

0.0549

1.3

149570000

53

ft

8.74

in

16.376

Mars

6760

0.0291

0.7

227840000

81

ft

10.13

in

24.946

Jupiter

142984

0.6163

15.6

778140000

279

ft

6.29

in

85.199

Saturn

116438

0.5019

12.7

1427000000

512

ft

7.3

in

156.243

Uranus

46940

0.2023

5.1

2870300000

1031

ft

0.87

in

314.27

Neptune 45432

0.1958

4.9

4499900000

1616

ft

5.51

in

492.696

Pluto

0.009

0.2

5913000000

2124

ft

0.9

in

647.418

Body

Sun

Body
Diam
(km)

10/16/12 11:30 AM

1391900

2274

Orbit
radius
(km)

Scaled orbit
radius
(ft & in)

Calculate

orbit
radius
(meters)

Clear

Other interesting distances and speeds

Quantity

Speed of
light
Light
year

Real
Quantity

Scaled
Quantity
(English)

Scaled
Quantity
(Metric)

299792 km/sec

1.292

in/sec

32.8

9.46051E+12 km

643.6

mi

1035.8

mm/sec
km

Distances to Stars and Galaxies

mi

km

To Alpha Centauri 4.03964E+13 km

2748.3

To Sirius

8.17388E+13 km

5561

To Deneb

1.32636E+16 km

902380

mi

1452239.8

km

To Galactic
center

2.62151E+17 km

17835264.9

mi

28703076.6

km

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/

4423

mi

8949.6

km

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Build a Solar System Model | Exploratorium

Hottest star
(Type 05)
Coolest star
(Type M5)
Red giant
(Betelgeuse)
White dwarf
(Sirius B)
Neutron star

10/16/12 11:30 AM

Sizes of Stars
4.5
ft

1.37

in

2.43

cm

57.1

12527100 km
222704 km

0.96

521962500 km

187.5

13919 km

0.06

20 km

0.000086

ft
in
in

1.524
0.00218

mm
mm

I've only given you the sizes and distances to the planets. If you'd like to
see the satellites of the planets as well, click here for a much more
extensive page (and a longer download time too!)

One of the most exciting excercises I ever did as a kid was to make a scale model of
the Solar System. Most of the pictures in my books made the distance between
planets seem small and easy to travel. Museums were no help either. The models
they displayed usually had the sizes of the planets to scale, but the distances
between them were a completly different scale, giving the impression of a rather
close-knit family.
I made my first scale model on a roll of teletype paper tape (anyone remember that
stuff?) On this 1-inch tape, my Sun was the size of the tape - 1 inch in diameter. It
all started out well. Mercury was only about 3-1/2 feet from the sun and Earth was
almost 9 feet from the Sun. What I didn't bargain for was that Pluto was 354 feet
down the tape! I used up almost the entire roll.
I also calculated the sizes that I should make the dots that represented the planets. I
found that even the largest planet, Jupiter, should have a spot size smaller than 1/8
inch. The other planets, especially the small rocky inner planets, would be virtually
invisible dust spots.
Needless to say, this was an eye-opening experience. This one excercise taught me
the real meaning of the word "space." It sure made me feel insignificant looking at
the scale of the Solar System - never mind the rest of the universe!
Now we have great tools like spreadsheets to do the numerical computations for us.
Below you can download OpenOffice or Excel format files. In this spreadsheet, you
set the scale of the model by entering a radius for the Sun. The sheet should then
calculate everything else based on this number.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/

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Build a Solar System Model | Exploratorium

10/16/12 11:30 AM

Download OpenOffice-format spreadsheet (25 kbytes)

Download Excel-format spreadsheet (45 kbytes)

Links to other Solar System resources

Your Age On Other Worlds
Your Weight On Other Worlds
The Exploratorium's "Observatory"
The Nine Planets
A Solar System Scale Model Meta Page.
Another downloadable spreadsheet from Planeten Paultje in the Netherlands.
A new geocaching model in California. Get out that GPS to find the planets!
New Jersey Astronomical Association Solar System Walk
And Yet Another Model In Maine!
Solar System Exploration from NASA-JPL
NSSDC Photo Gallery
JPL's Welcome to the Planets
A diagram of the solarsystem NOW! (In stereo if you want!)
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Proportional Planets
Thanks to Bill Arnett for his fantastic Nine Planets web site.
1997; Ron Hipschman, Exploratorium

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/

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