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SPACE IS BIG,
VERY BIG

One of the reasons for building the Solar System was to show just how
big it is. If you walk as far as Pluto and look back towards the recreation ground, you get a sense of the vastness of space.

The scale of this model is 1:4,595,700,000 (ie 1mm = 4,595.7km)

The Sun is represented by a 303mm diameter dome and each planet
by a scale engraving on a flat disc. The positions of the pillars reflect
the positions of the planets at midnight on 1 January 2000.

On the scale of this model, the nearest star is 8,844km away, near
Los Angeles USA! If you were to cross the Milky Way, our local
galaxy, you would have to stay on board the jet for twenty four years.

SPACE IS
V I R T U A L L Yo E M P T Y