60°13′17″N24°51′20″E / 60.22139°N 24.85556°E /60.22139; 24.85556
The Pajamäki Solar System Scale Model is a scale model of theSolar System built inHelsinki and partly inEspoo,Finland in 1992. Its scale is 1:1 000 000 000, i.e. one to one billion, so that 1 millimeter in the model corresponds to 1 000 kilometers in the actual Solar System. The coordinates given for the model are those for the Sun in Patterinmäki.
The model was designed by the amateurastronomer Leo Sulamaa, who has had his ownobservatory in Pajamäki.[1]
The center of the scale model, theSun, is located at the top of the Patterinmäki inPajamäki, at the top of a 20-meter pole. It is made of steel pipes, and itsdiameter is 1.4 meters. Theplanets are placed on concrete posts so that their distances to the sun are in scale. The sizes of the planets are also in scale: e.g. the size ofMercury is only 4.9 millimeters. There are explanatory texts on the model and the planets near the models in special tables. The texts are inFinnish,Swedish andEnglish.
The diameter ofthe Earth is in reality 12 760 kilometers, but in the scale model it is only just a little over acentimeter. Due tovandalism, the Earth andthe Moon in the scale model differ from the planets, they are presented as holes in a steel plate. The distance between the Earth and the Moon is also in scale. Although thedwarf planetPluto lost its status as a planet in 2006, it is included in the scale model, together with itsmoonCharon. The moons of other planets are not represented in the scale model. Due to vandalism, Pluto and Charon are framed.[1]
People walking from one object to another get a clear picture of thespeed of light in the scale of the Solar System. In the model, the speed of light would be only 0,3 m/s or ca. 1.08 km/h. One light year in the same scale would be 9 460 km.
| Part | Location |
|---|---|
| The Sun | Top of the Patterimäki in Pajamäki |
| Mercury | Along a leisure trail in Patterinmäki |
| Venus | Along a leisure trail in Patterinmäki |
| The Earth andthe Moon | Along a leisure trail in Patterinmäki |
| Mars | Along a leisure trail in Patterinmäki |
| Jupiter | Talinhuippu, north of the top |
| Saturn | At the corner of Pitäjänmäentie and Höyläämötie, in front ofLidl |
| Uranus | In Espoo in apavilion nearVilla Elfvik |
| Neptune | Western shore ofLehtisaari, near the bridge toOtaniemi |
| Pluto and its moonCharon | AlongLänsiväylä, near the intersection toHanasaari |
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