I've see solar system scale models at several museums and I'm always struck by how far apart some of the planets are, and what an outlier Pluto is (on the models that still include Pluto, of course). Air & Space Magazine posted an interactive map showing more than a dozen solar system models around the country. For example Cumberland, Indiana just installed a three mile, 1:1 billion scale model that's part of a pedestrian/bike path downtown. And ccording to an article in Air & Space, many more communities are planning solar system models as part of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education's Voyage National Program to help us understand Earth's place in space. From Air & Space:
The original model spans 6.5 football fields between the Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall in Washington, D.C…One of Voyage's unique features is that its scale can even accommodate the nearest star; if Proxima Centauri were added to the D.C. model, it would be the size of a cherry and would be located on the California coast. The larger Cumberland model wouldn't be able to fit the star on Earth.
It remains to be seen whether recently demoted Pluto will make the cut in Cumberland. Models built before Pluto got kicked out of the planetary club now face the task of addressing the rock's new status. For now, patrons wishing to pay their respects to the former planet can hop on their bikes and ride out past Neptune. On the National Mall, signs and cards have showed up at Pluto's node–where the poor little guy is represented by a speck far smaller than the head of a pin–reading, "Pluto, you rock!" and "Pluto will always be a planet in my heart."
"A Walk Through the Solar System"
