This cache represents Earth in orbit around the Sun. It is hidden along a footpath about 8.3km from the Lovell telescope. At our scale Earth is about 69cm in diameter - the size of a large car tyre. (At this scale the Moon would be 19cm in diameter - the size of a bowling ball - orbiting the Earth at a distance of about 21m.)
The cache is hidden within easy reach of a public footpath in the corner of a cow field. There's some barbed wire about near here, but not at the cache location itself.
If you walk on through the nearby kissing gate, the Lovell telescope comes into view across the plain to the South. This helps you to appreciate just how far you have travelled and the true scale of our solar system.
Earth
Earth is the third planet in the solar system. It has an orbit ranging between 147 and 152 million km from the Sun. It is the fifth largest planet with a diameter of 12,750 km.
It takes 365.25 days to orbit the Sun, and one day to rotate on its own axis so it is spinning much faster than Venus or Mercury.
It is the only main planet where water exists in liquid form, covering over 70% of its surface, and with a high level (21%) of oxygen in the atmosphere. Beyond that, you probably already have a pretty good idea what it's like on this planet!
... and beyond!
We plan to extend this series to Mars. The maintenance becomes an issue if we go any further ...
- Jupiter - 7.8m diameter ball near Bolton
- Saturn - 6.4m diameter ball near Blackpool
- Uranus - 2.6m diameter ball near Penrith
- Neptune - 2.5m diameter ball beyond Dumfries
- Pluto (because we still like it) - 12cm diameter ball in Glasgow