Scale Model of the Solar System?

c0rbin · 9th June 2003, 08:01 AM

I think they rounded some numbers off here, but it is a cool idea that makes science fun for a whole community :P

Link to CNN Article

Skeptical Greg · 9th June 2003, 08:07 AM

Cool...

no one in particular · 9th June 2003, 08:31 AM

Hey, we have one of these in Ithaca, although the scale is really tiny. The inner solar system planets are within a block or so of one another. You do not get to do a good walk until you go see the outer planets. Also, the smaller planets are not balls like the one pictured in the CNN article, rather they are specks with an arrow pointing at them to distinguish them from dirt on the glass.

Here is a link to it:

Quote:

In November 8,1997 a unique, educational monument and memorial was dedicated. Built, in part, to honor Ithaca resident and Cornell Professor Carl Sagan, the Sagan Planet Walk is a scale model of the Solar System in the midst of the City of Ithaca. The model stretches from the center of the Commons in downtown Ithaca north to the Sciencenter 1.2 km away.
--------------------
Scale factor = 5,000,000,000:1

LW · 9th June 2003, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by no one in particular
Hey, we have one of these in Ithaca,

[

We have too. The scale is five times larger than the one you mention and Pluto is six kilometers from Sun.

Frostbite · 9th June 2003, 11:58 AM

Which reminds me of Bode's law, according to which each planet's distance from the Sun should be twice that of the one before it (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.). According to Bode's law, the Earth shouldn't be there and there should be a planet between Mars and Jupiter.

9th June 2003, 12:50 PM

You mean "law".

-Who

TillEulenspiegel · 9th June 2003, 12:53 PM

I miss Carl...even named my wolf/hybred after him Sagan

Saw an old nova and it was Kip Thorne talking about how Carl ( doing research for his novel "contact" )had poked him into defining a mechanism that would allow "faster then light " travel. Thorne not only provided an out for Sagan , but started an relatively (HEHE) new discourse on the "unallowable" and generated both some new insights into some approaches that seemingly were Verbotin in the currently accepted model of the cosmos, but at the same time reinforced some "common" sense ideas about effect proceeding causality.

To do is to be --- Descartes
To be is to do --- Voltaire
Do be do be do --- Frank Sinatra

An R.Feynman cocktail.....fill a glass with ice , add water to the top of the glass , garnish with O-Ring particulate. Wait for the ice to disintegrate the O-Ring. Add a dash of sartorial bitters and serve to a flustered board of inquirers.

Bluegill · 9th June 2003, 01:18 PM

I recently learned that someone very intelligent, and very dear to me, had no understanding at all of what a lunar eclipse was or of the celestial mechanics involved. I've noticed this with lots of other friends and acquaintances, as well. I had the idea that a lot of these problems could be solved if there was actually a scale model of the solar system around for them to see. I've had an idea of making one in some fashion.

Then I found something cool! There are at least a few websites that will scale things for you! All you have to do is type in the size of the Sun in either millimeters or inches, and it will tell you the size and distance of all the planets. That rocks!

I don't have the links, but I think they're easy to find if you go to Google and type in "scale model of the solar system"

Earthborn · 9th June 2003, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Which reminds me of Bode's law, according to which each planet's distance from the Sun should be twice that of the one before it (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.). According to Bode's law, the Earth shouldn't be there and there should be a planet between Mars and Jupiter.

Actually your wrong about that. Bode's Law is like this:

Begin with the series of numbers, where every number is twice that of the previous (except the second):

0 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 etc

Multiply them by 3:

0 3 6 12 24 48 96 192 etc

Add 4:

4 7 10 16 28 52 100 196 etc

As you can see, the Earth fits in perfectly with a distance of '10'.
This series is quite acurate. These is are the actual distances if define the distance from the Earth to the Sun as 10:

_M___V___E___M____Ast___J_____S_____U
3.9__7.2__10__15.2__26.5__52.0__95.4__191.9

This rule was invented before the discovery of Uranus, and is quite surprising that it fits quite well in the series. The asteroid belt wasn't discovered either and it fits perfectly too as it is often considered the remnants of a planet or a planet that never formed.

The rule however fails with Neptune and Pluto which are 'too close': 300.7 and 396 respectively, instead of 388 and 772

Edited to add: The numbers of the actual distances are a bit of because I typed it from a book that has a hastily added section announcing 'the newly discovered planet Pluto'. Go here: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/ and type in 100 mm for the size of the sun and you'll get more accurate numbers.

uneasy · 10th June 2003, 01:00 PM

c0rbin, since you made a plea for replies

I thought I should say I was going to reply to this, but all I had to say was "cool" and someone already said it.

Segnosaur · 10th June 2003, 01:32 PM

I'm building a scale model of the solar system myself...

I plan a scale of 1:1.

I may need some help with a few of the planets....

Brown · 10th June 2003, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Earthborn
This rule [Bode's Law] was invented before the discovery of Uranus, and is quite surprising that it fits quite well in the series. The asteroid belt wasn't discovered either and it fits perfectly too as it is often considered the remnants of a planet or a planet that never formed.

As suggested, "Bode's Law" fits, to a degree, some of the known data.

"Bode's Law" is not, however, a law of physics.

It has been described as a "coincidence" and a "mnemonic," but it is not a physical law.

I mention this because some believers in in undiscovered planets think that Bode's law is a physical law that predicts the location of those planets.

c0rbin · 11th June 2003, 07:47 AM

Quote:

uneasy said:

c0rbin, since you made a plea for replies I thought I should say I was going to reply to this, but all I had to say was "cool" and someone already said it.

Thanks, uneasy. I appreciate it!

Quote:

Segnosaur said:

I'm building a scale model of the solar system myself...

I plan a scale of 1:1.

I may need some help with a few of the planets....

I will contact my dad. He is quite the gas giant.

uneasy · 11th June 2003, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Segnosaur
I'm building a scale model of the solar system myself...

I plan a scale of 1:1.

Sorry, I already built it. And by the way, you all owe me rent!

TillEulenspiegel · 12th June 2003, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by uneasy

Sorry, I already built it. And by the way, you all owe me rent!

Sorry no rent for joo. The primary residence flips the poles every few years, the mother in law cottage's ( moon) last tennent left dust everywhere and the summer cottage in the boonies ( Mars) atmosphere, which had a lifetime gaurentee, is kaput. ( I understand that it was the sub-contractors fault, but thats not my problem)

9th June 2003, 08:01 AM	#1
c0rbin Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 1,806	Scale Model of the Solar System? I think they rounded some numbers off here, but it is a cool idea that makes science fun for a whole community :P Link to CNN Article
c0rbin Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 1,806	__________________ By convention there is color, By convention sweetness, By convention bitterness, But in reality there are atoms and space. --Democritus (c. 400 BCE)

9th June 2003, 08:07 AM	#2
Skeptical Greg Agave Wine Connoisseur Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Just past 'Resume Speed' Posts: 12,873	Cool...
	__________________ " Somewhere between Jesus dying on the cross, and a giant bunny hiding eggs,there seems to be a gap in information. " Stan - Southpark Prove your computer is not a wimp ! Join the JREF Folders ! Team 13232

9th June 2003, 08:31 AM	#3
no one in particular muse Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 1,004	Hey, we have one of these in Ithaca, although the scale is really tiny. The inner solar system planets are within a block or so of one another. You do not get to do a good walk until you go see the outer planets. Also, the smaller planets are not balls like the one pictured in the CNN article, rather they are specks with an arrow pointing at them to distinguish them from dirt on the glass. Here is a link to it: Quote: In November 8,1997 a unique, educational monument and memorial was dedicated. Built, in part, to honor Ithaca resident and Cornell Professor Carl Sagan, the Sagan Planet Walk is a scale model of the Solar System in the midst of the City of Ithaca. The model stretches from the center of the Commons in downtown Ithaca north to the Sciencenter 1.2 km away. -------------------- Scale factor = 5,000,000,000:1
	__________________ We need more xoup.

9th June 2003, 11:58 AM	#5
Frostbite Muse Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Montreal, Qc Posts: 986	Which reminds me of Bode's law, according to which each planet's distance from the Sun should be twice that of the one before it (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.). According to Bode's law, the Earth shouldn't be there and there should be a planet between Mars and Jupiter.
	__________________ Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases: 1- It's completely impossible. 2- It's possible, but it's not worth doing. 3- I said it was a good idea all along. -Arthur C. Clarke

9th June 2003, 12:50 PM	#6
Guest Posts: n/a	You mean "law". -Who
Guest Posts: n/a

9th June 2003, 11:02 AM	#4
LW Master Poster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: 60°N 25°E Posts: 2,800	Quote: Originally posted by no one in particular Hey, we have one of these in Ithaca, [ We have too. The scale is five times larger than the one you mention and Pluto is six kilometers from Sun.

9th June 2003, 12:53 PM	#7
TillEulenspiegel Master Poster Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 2,310	I miss Carl...even named my wolf/hybred after him Sagan Saw an old nova and it was Kip Thorne talking about how Carl ( doing research for his novel "contact" )had poked him into defining a mechanism that would allow "faster then light " travel. Thorne not only provided an out for Sagan , but started an relatively (HEHE) new discourse on the "unallowable" and generated both some new insights into some approaches that seemingly were Verbotin in the currently accepted model of the cosmos, but at the same time reinforced some "common" sense ideas about effect proceeding causality. To do is to be --- Descartes To be is to do --- Voltaire Do be do be do --- Frank Sinatra An R.Feynman cocktail.....fill a glass with ice , add water to the top of the glass , garnish with O-Ring particulate. Wait for the ice to disintegrate the O-Ring. Add a dash of sartorial bitters and serve to a flustered board of inquirers.

9th June 2003, 01:18 PM	#8
Bluegill Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Louisville Posts: 1,188	I recently learned that someone very intelligent, and very dear to me, had no understanding at all of what a lunar eclipse was or of the celestial mechanics involved. I've noticed this with lots of other friends and acquaintances, as well. I had the idea that a lot of these problems could be solved if there was actually a scale model of the solar system around for them to see. I've had an idea of making one in some fashion. Then I found something cool! There are at least a few websites that will scale things for you! All you have to do is type in the size of the Sun in either millimeters or inches, and it will tell you the size and distance of all the planets. That rocks! I don't have the links, but I think they're easy to find if you go to Google and type in "scale model of the solar system"

9th June 2003, 02:52 PM	#9
Earthborn Terrestrial Intelligence Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Terra Firma Posts: 5,647	Quote: Which reminds me of Bode's law, according to which each planet's distance from the Sun should be twice that of the one before it (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.). According to Bode's law, the Earth shouldn't be there and there should be a planet between Mars and Jupiter. Actually your wrong about that. Bode's Law is like this: Begin with the series of numbers, where every number is twice that of the previous (except the second): 0 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 etc Multiply them by 3: 0 3 6 12 24 48 96 192 etc Add 4: 4 7 10 16 28 52 100 196 etc As you can see, the Earth fits in perfectly with a distance of '10'. This series is quite acurate. These is are the actual distances if define the distance from the Earth to the Sun as 10: _M___V___E___M____Ast___J_____S_____U 3.9__7.2__10__15.2__26.5__52.0__95.4__191.9 This rule was invented before the discovery of Uranus, and is quite surprising that it fits quite well in the series. The asteroid belt wasn't discovered either and it fits perfectly too as it is often considered the remnants of a planet or a planet that never formed. The rule however fails with Neptune and Pluto which are 'too close': 300.7 and 396 respectively, instead of 388 and 772 Edited to add: The numbers of the actual distances are a bit of because I typed it from a book that has a hastily added section announcing 'the newly discovered planet Pluto'. Go here: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/ and type in 100 mm for the size of the sun and you'll get more accurate numbers.
	__________________ Perhaps nothing is entirely true; and not even that! Multatuli

10th June 2003, 01:00 PM	#10
uneasy Muse Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 504	c0rbin, since you made a plea for replies I thought I should say I was going to reply to this, but all I had to say was "cool" and someone already said it.
uneasy Muse Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 504	__________________ Mud, Mud, glorious mud Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood!

10th June 2003, 01:32 PM	#11
Segnosaur Philosopher Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Canada, eh? Posts: 6,065	I'm building a scale model of the solar system myself... I plan a scale of 1:1. I may need some help with a few of the planets....
	__________________ Trust me, I know what I'm doing. - Sledgehammer I cheered when then the WTC came down. - UndercoverElephant (a.k.a. JustGeoff) I cheer Bin Laden... - JustGeoff (a.k.a. UndercoverElephant) Bin Laden delivered justice - JustGeoff (a.k.a. UndercoverElephant) Men shop for lingerie the way kids shop for breakfast cereal... they will buy something they know nothing about, just to get the prize inside. - Jeff Foxworthy

10th June 2003, 04:16 PM	#12
Brown Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Twin Cities, Canada Posts: 12,145	Quote: Originally posted by Earthborn This rule [Bode's Law] was invented before the discovery of Uranus, and is quite surprising that it fits quite well in the series. The asteroid belt wasn't discovered either and it fits perfectly too as it is often considered the remnants of a planet or a planet that never formed. As suggested, "Bode's Law" fits, to a degree, some of the known data. "Bode's Law" is not, however, a law of physics. It has been described as a "coincidence" and a "mnemonic," but it is not a physical law. I mention this because some believers in in undiscovered planets think that Bode's law is a physical law that predicts the location of those planets.
	__________________ Klaatu: I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it. Mr. Harley: I'm afraid my people haven't. I am very sorry. I wish it were otherwise. -- The Day The Earth Stood Still, screenplay by Edmund H. North "Don't you get me wrong. I only want to know." -- Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, lyrics by Tim Rice

11th June 2003, 07:47 AM	#13
c0rbin Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 1,806	Quote: uneasy said: c0rbin, since you made a plea for replies I thought I should say I was going to reply to this, but all I had to say was "cool" and someone already said it. Thanks, uneasy. I appreciate it! Quote: Segnosaur said: I'm building a scale model of the solar system myself... I plan a scale of 1:1. I may need some help with a few of the planets.... I will contact my dad. He is quite the gas giant.
c0rbin Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 1,806	__________________ By convention there is color, By convention sweetness, By convention bitterness, But in reality there are atoms and space. --Democritus (c. 400 BCE)

11th June 2003, 07:48 AM	#14
uneasy Muse Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 504	Quote: Originally posted by Segnosaur I'm building a scale model of the solar system myself... I plan a scale of 1:1. Sorry, I already built it. And by the way, you all owe me rent!
uneasy Muse Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 504	__________________ Mud, Mud, glorious mud Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood!

12th June 2003, 11:30 AM	#15
TillEulenspiegel Master Poster Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 2,310	Quote: Originally posted by uneasy Sorry, I already built it. And by the way, you all owe me rent! Sorry no rent for joo. The primary residence flips the poles every few years, the mother in law cottage's ( moon) last tennent left dust everywhere and the summer cottage in the boonies ( Mars) atmosphere, which had a lifetime gaurentee, is kaput. ( I understand that it was the sub-contractors fault, but thats not my problem)