Central Illinois Community Solar Model - Sun - Peoria, IL - Outdoor Interactive Science Displays on Waymarking.com

From their website at: (visit link)

Peoria Riverfront Museum's Community Solar System model is the world's most complete large-scale model of the Solar System. The scale factor is 99,000,000:1, covering 6,000 square miles of Central Illinois. In addition to the Sun and 8 planets, the model includes 5 dwarf planets and numerous unnamed comets spread across the globe.

The Sun is the center of the model, and is depicted on Riverfront Museum's Sun Plaza (and the wall of Dome Planetarium lobby). The Sun is depicted as a yellow brick disk trimmed in red and is 46 feet in diameter. Informational plaques on a nearby wall list the locations and sizes of the other planets and objects in the model and an explanation of the components of the sun. Another sign expresses gratitude: "Sun Plaza made possible by generosity of UnityPoint Health Methodist|Proctor"

The Earth (5 inches in diameter) is nearly one mile from the Museum on the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail at the Peoria riverfront. The 3 stars of the Alpha Centauri system (the closest stars to the Sun) are represented by Little West Crater at the Apollo 11 landing site - they could be lined up across the 100’ crater, accurate for both their size and distance to the scale of the model.

More from the Atlas Obscura site: (visit link)

The real Sun is actually 865,000 miles in diameter and located at a focus of the elliptical orbits of the planets in our solar system, providing light and heat for us all.

Later in the day, I serendipitously encountered Uranus, (18 inches in diameter) is located in Troutman Park in Princeville, about 16 miles from the Museum. The planet Uranus is actually 31,763 miles in diameter, and 1,784,800,000 miles from the Sun.

Scientific Principle(s) being demonstrated: solar system model, to scale Briefly explain if the experiment was effective for you. Could it have been better?: This model effectively displays how vast the solar system is, and makes the models of the planets accessible in natural settings. When is the apparatus/experiment available to the public: 24x7

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