Solar System models, especially mechanical models, called orreries, that illustrate the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons in the Solar System 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 of the Solar System a challenging task. As one example of the difficulty, the distance between the Earth and the Sun 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 Boston Museum of Science had placed bronze models of the planets in major public buildings, all on similar stands with interpretive labels."Boston Community Solar System" at Waymarking.com. For example, the model of Jupiter was located in the cavernous South Station waiting area. The properly-scaled, basket-ball-sized model is 1.3 miles (2.14 km) from the model Sun which is located at the museum, graphically illustrating the immense empty space in the Solar System.
The objects in such large models do not move. Traditional orreries often did move, and some used clockworks to display the relative speeds of objects accurately. These can be thought of as being correctly scaled in time, instead of distance.
Permanent true scale models Many towns and institutions have built outdoor scale models of the Solar System. Here is a table comparing these models with the actual system.
Name Location Scale:1 : … Sun dia. Earth dia. Sun–Earth Sun–Pluto DescriptionActual Solar System 1 1.392 million km 12,760 km 149.6 million km 5.914 billion km Sweden Solar System Stockholm, Sweden 20,000,000 71 m 65 cm 7,600 m 300 km permanent; country-wide (begun 1998) Solar System Drive Coonabarabran, Australia 38,000,000 37 m 34 cm 4,100 m 205 km permanent; drivable; non-geodetic (est. 1997) Crystal Lake Model Solar System Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States 2,000,000,000 69.6 m 0.68 cm 74.8 m 3.6 km permanent; outer planets not in line; (est. 1994)Space for MUCO projectBrussels, Belgium 40,000,000 34.8 m 32 cm 3,730 m 147 kmpermanent; country wide; non-scale sculptures (est. 2004)The North American Solar System ModelSaskatchewan, Canada 44,148,40031.53 m28.8 cm3,389 m133.1 kmpermanent; giants-drivable. Terrestrials-walkable. (est. 2025, still under construction) Maine Solar System Presque Isle, Maine 93,000,000 15 m 13.7 cm 1,600 m 64 km permanent; drivable (est.2003)Mont Megantic Dark Sky Reserve Great Solar System Parc national du Mont-Mégantic, Canada 100,000,00014 m12.4 cm1,450 m57 kmpermanent; drivable (est.2018)Otago Central Interplanetary Cycle Trail Otago Central Rail Trail, New Zealand 100,000,00013.91 m12 cm1,496 m59.06 kmpermanent; cyclable (est.2017) Riverfront Museum Solar System Peoria, Illinois 99,000,000 11 m 10.0 cm 1,200 m 47 km permanent; drivable (est. 1992?) Vienna Solar System Vienna, Austria 163,764,706 8.5 m 7.78 cm 913 m 36 km under construction since 2018. Physical + Augmented Reality Planet Lofoten Lofoten, Norway 200,000,000 7 m 6.4 cm 750m 30 km under construction Planet Trek Dane County Madison, Wisconsin 200,000,000 7 m 6.6 cm 777 m 38.3 km permanent; fully accessible by foot and bike paths (est. 2009) Sunspot Solar System Model Sunspot, New Mexico 250,000,000 5.6 m 5.1 cm 1.5 m 23.6 km permanent, drivableLethbridge Solar System Model Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada 254,000,0005.5 m5 cm500 m14.7 km (Neptune)permanent, drivable, walkable (est. 2022)El Sistema Solar de la comarca de Ciudad Rodrigo Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain 290,000,0004.8 m4.4 cm1.2 m25 kmpermanent, Walk & Drive If the Earth were a Ping-Pong ball Westminster, London 318,905,000 4.36 m 4 cm ? ? In construction; Walk & Drive (est. 2018) Centered around Deans Yard, Westminster Moab Scale Model of the Solar System Moab, Utah 385,937,677 3.6 m 2.4 cm ? 15.3 km permanent; Walk and Drive (est. 2007) Light Speed Planet Walk Anchorage, Alaska 390,000,000 ? ? ? 16.6 km permanent; drivable (est. 2005) The Solar System to Scale Estremoz, Portugal 414,000,000 3.4 m 3.1 cm 361 m 14.3 km permanent; drivable; bikeable Solar System Stroll Bratislava, Slovakia 464,000,000 3 m 2.7 cm 322 m 13 km permanent; bikeable, drivable; under construction since 2024 Somerset Space Walk Bridgwater Canal, Somerset, England 530,000,000 2.5 m ? ? 11 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1997) York's Solar System model York, England 575,872,239 2.4 m 2.2 cm 260 m 10.3 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1999)Traverse Bay Community Solar System Traverse City, Michigan 592,763,356 0.9 m ? 209 m 10.0 kmpermanent; bikeable (est. 2004)Michigan Solar System Model Coleman, Michigan 608,000,000 2.3 m 2.1 cm 324 m 9.8 km permanent; bike trail Sun and Pls. Spheres (2017)Solar System Opava, Czech Republic 627,000,000 2.2 m 2.0 cm 239 m 9.42 km permanent; bikeable; walkable; drivable (est. 2006) Nine Views Zagreb, Croatia 680,000,000 2.0 m 1.9 cm 225 m 8.7 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2004) Walk the Solar System Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada 682,353,000 2.0 m 1.9 cm 219 m 8.6 km under construction McCarthy Observatory New Milford, Connecticut 761,155,000 1.8 m 1.7 cm 195 m 7.1 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2009) Planet Walk Glen Burnie, Maryland. 781,000,000 ? ? 191.5 m 7.56 km Walkable, bikeable (est. 2008). Part of the permanent Baltimore & Annapolis Trail. Trilho do Sistema Solar Paredes de Coura, Portugal 831,000,000 1.675 m 1.533 cm 180 m 5.42 km (Neptune) permanent; walkable; bikeable (est. 2016)Planetenpad Utrecht Utrecht, The Netherlands 1,000,000,0001.3 m1.3 cm150 m7.4 km (Neptune)Leads from Centre Utrecht to Rhijnauwen, on foot, on bike or on kayakModel of the Solar System Helsinki, Finland 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 149.6 m 6.1 km permanent; bikeablePlanetenmodell Hagen Hagen, Germany 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1959) Planetenweg Schwarzbach Kriftel, Germany 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1998) Uetliberg Planetenweg Zürich, Switzerland 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeablePlanetenwanderweg Ehrenfriedersdorf, Germany 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable Planetary Trail Hradec Králové, Czech Republic 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 2005)Planetary Trail Prague, Czech Republic 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km (Pluto) permanent; bike & walk; all objects above 1000km; (est. 13 May 2018) Melbourne Solar System Melbourne, Australia 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 5.9 km (Pluto) 40 140 km (Proxima Centauri) permanent; bikeable (est. 2008) Proxima Centauri scale distance calculated travelling Melbourne to Melbourne via the Poles. Scale Model Solar System Eugene, Oregon 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; bikeable (est. 1997) Planetstien, Sandnes Sandnes, Norway 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; walkable, bikeable (est. 2010) Planetstien, Lemvig Lemvig, Denmark 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.2 cm 150 m 5.9 km permanent; walkable Grand Trunk Pathway Solar System Model Terrace, British Columbia 1,000,000,000 1.4 m 1.3 cm 150 m 6 km permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. 2018) Planet Walk Munich, Germany 1,290,000,000 1.1 m 1.0 cm 116 m 4.6 km permanent; walkable (est. 1995) Strolling at the speed of light La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada 1,500,000,000 0.9 m 0.8 cm 100 m 3 km (Neptune) permanent; walkable (est. 2009) (temp?) State of the Solar System Bellingham, Washington 1,826,770,000 0.762 m 0.6858 cm 82 m ? permanent; walkable (est. 2016) Meteoria Söderfjärden Vaasa, Finland 2,000,000,000 0.7 m ? ? ? permanent; walkable Planetenweg Göttingen Göttingen, Germany 2,000,000,000 0.70 m 0.65 cm 75 m 3.2 km permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. 2013) Upper Beaches Scale Solar System Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2,000,000,000 0.7 m 0.6 cm 75 m 2.81 km permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. 2026) Solar System Walking Tour Gainesville, Georgia 2,000,000,000 0.7 m 0.6 cm 75 m 2.9 km permanent; walkable (est. 2000) Rymdpromenaden ("Spacewalk") Gothenburg, Sweden 2,000,000,000 0.7 m 0.6 cm 75 m 3 km permanent; walkable (est. 1978) Montshire Museum of Science Norwich, Vermont 2,200,000,000 0.6 m 0.6 cm 68 m 2.7 km permanent; walkable Ride to Pluto: Boise's Solar System Boise Greenbelt, Boise, Idaho 2,200,000,000 0.5 m ? ? 2.4 km permanent; walkable & bikeable The Solar walk Longview, Washington 2,240,000,000 0.6 m 0.6 cm 56.94 m 2.7 km permanent; walkable (est. 2001) Akaa Solar System Scale Model Akaa, Finland 3,000,000,000 0.46 m 0.4 cm 49.9 m 1.958 km (Pluto) 13 370 km (Proxima Centauri) permanent; walkable (est. 2017), Proxima Centauri in Yulara, Australia Elmhurst Scale Model of the Solar System Elmhurst, Illinois 3,044,620,000 0.5 m 0.4 cm 49.1 m 1.929 km permanent; walk & drive (est. 2013) Solar System model group of sculptures Kecskemét, Hungary 3,300,000,000 0.418 m 0.4 cm 45 m 1.8 km permanent; walkable (est. 2002) Milky Way path Westerbork, The Netherlands 3,700,000,000 ? ? ? 2.5 km permanent; walkable Solar Walk Gainesville, Florida 4,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 37.4 m 1.5 km permanent; walkable (est. 2002) Otford Solar System Model Otford, England 4,595,700,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 32 m 900 m permanent; walkable; Includes: Proxima Centauri in Los Angeles, USA; Barnard's Star in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands; Sirius in Sydney, Australia; and Ross 154 in Christchurch, New Zealand Wooster Planet Walk Wooster, Ohio 5,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 30 m 1.2 km permanent; walkable (est. 2014) The Sagan Planet Walk Ithaca, New York 5,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.3 cm 30 m 1.2 km permanent; walkable (est. 1997) Delmar Loop Planet Walk University City, Missouri 5,000,000,000 0.3 m 0.2 cm 30 m 870 m (Neptune) permanent; walkable (est. 2009)The Solar Walk Cleveland, Ohio 5,280,000,000 0.3 m 0.2 cm 28.4 m 1.1 km permanent; walkableSolar System Walk An Exploration of Scale Carlsbad, California 5,280,000,000 ? ? 28 m 1.119 kmLocated near Lake Calavera O Sistema Solar no Parque Natal, Brazil 7,000,000,000 0.2 m 1.8 mm 22 m 875 m permanent; walkable/bikeable (est. 3 June 2016) A True Scale Model of the Solar System Cookeville, Tennessee 10,000,000,000 0.14 m 0.12 cm 15 m 590 m permanent; walkable (est. 2017) Voyage National Program