Swedish Solar System

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Swedish Solar System is the largest model of the planetary system in the world, possessing a scale of 1:20 million. It exhibits the positions of the various planets and moons in this astronomic “scheme”, which cannot but alert everyone's attention.

It has been established all over the country area, involving national museums and institutions of astronomy. The key thing is that The Sun is presented by the most spherical building in Sweden and in the world - Stockholm Globe Arena, and the planets are situated in other cities, preserving the accurate distances in correspondence with the scale chosen.

In Swedish Solar System the entire range of planet relations and sizes of orbits are sustained, except of Pluto; it is located only 300 km away from the sun. Stockholm City is the host of planet range ending with Mars (united under the term “inner planets”), including the Earth’s satellite – the Moon.

Mercury with a diameter of 25 cm is exhibited in one of top museums of Stockholm, Stockholm City Museum (Stockholms Stadsmuseum) 2,9 km away from the Sun. To preserve natural features of the planet as the closest to the Yellow Dwarf, Mercury is kept hot by constant heating. The average temperature of Mercury in real life varies from -170 to +430°C. The Mercury location points out the north direction of the Swedish Solar System.

Venus, the second planet, is located at the distance of 5,5 km in Royal Institute of Technology. Its diameter is 62 cm. The model was established on June 2004, in a period of Venus transit precisely.

Swedish Museum of Natural History (Cosmonova) is a host of our planet and its essential satellite on a distance of 7,6 km from the Globe Arena. The diameters of the models are 65 and 17 cm respectively.

Mars is established in Stockholm suburban area - at Mörby Centrum, one of the shopping sites of Danderyd Municipality. The distance from the Sun is 11,6 km. Its diameter is 35 cm. Heikki Haapanen, Finnish designer, made it of copper.

The diameters of outer planets are measured in meters, which resemblance their giant sizes in real. Jupiter, the biggest planet in Solar System, has the diameter of 7,3 cm and is located in the international airport Stockholm-Arlanda (40 km from the Globe Arena). To date it is performed in a flowerbed shape, but in perspective it is going to be transformed in 3D form.

Uppsala, one of the largest cities in Sweden, maintains the model of Saturn. Having passed the distance of 73 km from The Sun, one might have an opportunity to see the model in diameter of 6,1 meters in one of the old observatories in the country. It is Anders Celsius. Schools of the hosting city are occupied with preparation of moons, related to Saturn. The first one has been already introduced; it is Enceladus with a diameter of 2,5 cm.

143 km away from the Globe Arena, in Gävle, there is a spot of Uranus planet location, but its model was destroyed recently and appears to be in a process of reconstruction.

Model of Neptune completely fits in wide-spread fishing activity in town of Söderhamn. It is made of acrylic material, providing shining glow at night. The view is spectacular. It is a bit smaller than Uranus (2,5 meters diameter) on a distance of 229 km from the Globe.

Pluto (12 cm in diameter), accompanied by its satellite Charon, is situated 300 km away in Delsbo. The location is characterized by the neighborhood of two lakes, which are believed to be created by meteorite nearly 1 billion years ago. It is another astronomic feature of the area.

Swedish Solar System is limited by the Terminal Shock, “arranged” in the northernmost city of Sweden – Kiruna. It reflects the idea of heliosphere edge, on a distance of 950 km from Globe Arena in Stockholm.

The Solar System introduced in Sweden is very attractive route to perform while visiting this country. The scientific significance of these sites goes without saying; travelers might feel the scales of space and planetary system we live in its mini version.