LETHBRIDGE ASTRONOMY SOCIETY
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    • About this project
    • Solar System- quick facts >
      • SUN
      • 1: MERCURY
      • 2: VENUS
      • 3: EARTH
      • MOON
      • 4: MARS
      • 5: JUPITER
      • 6: SATURN
      • 7: URANUS
      • 8: NEPTUNE
    • Solar System- deeper dive >
      • SUN
      • 1: MERCURY
      • 2: VENUS
      • 3: EARTH
      • MOON
      • 4: MARS
      • 5: JUPITER
      • 6: SATURN
      • 7: URANUS
      • 8: NEPTUNE
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    • Resources and Activities >
      • Solar System Fun Facts
      • Classroom Projects
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The Lethbridge Solar System Model

About This Project

Our Solar System is vast, with huge distances between the planets.  Light from the Sun (traveling at 300,000 km per second) takes more than eight minutes to reach the Earth, and more than four hours to reach Neptune. Such large numbers and enormous distances are difficult to imagine, and hard to relate to our day-to-day lives.
 
This project brings our Solar System “down to Earth”, and centers it on the city of Lethbridge. It gives us a sense of the Solar System’s enormity and highlights some special features of each planet.
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Imagine shrinking the Sun to fit inside the dome of the Lethbridge Post building...

​​The Sun is represented by the 5.5-meter diameter dome atop the clock tower of Lethbridge’s Post building. Each planet model is sized true-to-scale in relation to the 5.5-meter “Sun”, and placed somewhere along its pathway around the Sun. Each pedestal carries a descriptive plaque with basic facts about the planet, and a QR code that links to our website for more  information.

The scale ratio is 1:254,000,000. If we scale the speed of light by the same ratio, it would travel about 1.2 meters per second. So, within our Solar System Model, light would travel at about walking speed- something to think about as you stroll from one exhibit to the next.
Picture

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Click for Site Locations
Enjoy your journey through our Solar System! We hope you learn new things, and that these installations will encourage you to learn more about our Solar System and our Universe. As you visit each planet, don’t forget to look around you! The installations are near local points of interest- the Cenotaph at City Hall, the Galt Museum and Archives, and the University of Lethbridge to name just a few. 
Acknowledgments:

​True community collaboration brought this project to life. We owe thanks to many supporters:
​Funding & Installation

Community Foundation of Lethbridge and 
​ Southwestern Alberta
TELUS
Richardson Oilseed
University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge School Division
Ward Bros. Construction
​Operational Support

Lethbridge Astronomy Society
Klaus Jericho (project designer)
Tom Anderson
Perry Sabey
Bob Orth
City of Lethbridge
Lori Harasem
​Site Support

City of Lethbridge 
University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge School Division
​ Daniel Heaton, Dan Chronik (Saturn design)
Alberta Parks (Park Lake site)
Broxburn Vegetables & Café
Sumus Property Group
Construction and Fabrication

AMS Industries
Charlton & Hill
Outlaw Metal Polishing
Draggin' Design
MPE Engineering
Ward Bros. Construction Ltd.
Plaques & Website Content

Keaton Bosch (plaque design)
Perry Sabey (content supervisor)
​Tom Anderson (web content)
M2 Designs (pre-print consultation)
Outdoor Museum (plaque fabrication)
Mattias Malmer (Venus image)
​Perry Sabey (Moon image)
NASA & its affiliates
   
  • Home
    • History
    • Facilities
  • Education
    • Public Observing
    • Group Programs
    • Library & Resources
    • Light Pollution
  • Solar System Model
    • About this project
    • Solar System- quick facts >
      • SUN
      • 1: MERCURY
      • 2: VENUS
      • 3: EARTH
      • MOON
      • 4: MARS
      • 5: JUPITER
      • 6: SATURN
      • 7: URANUS
      • 8: NEPTUNE
    • Solar System- deeper dive >
      • SUN
      • 1: MERCURY
      • 2: VENUS
      • 3: EARTH
      • MOON
      • 4: MARS
      • 5: JUPITER
      • 6: SATURN
      • 7: URANUS
      • 8: NEPTUNE
    • Media
    • Resources and Activities >
      • Solar System Fun Facts
      • Classroom Projects
      • Fun Activities
  • Photos
  • Membership
  • Contact
    • Contact Information
    • Where To Find Us