The Peppercorn Model of the Solar System

The Peppercorn Model, also known as the Thousand Yard Model, is a scale model of the solar system which shows the relative sizes of the planets and the distances between them at the same time using the same linear scale.

At this scale the Sun is about the size of a soccer ball, the Earth is about the size of a peppercorn, and Pluto is a grain of salt about 1000 yards from the Sun.

As you walk among the planets you will not just see but also feel the vast emptiness of space even in our own solar system.

Scale: 1 inch = 100,000 miles

Distance Table

Sites

It is possible to set up or walk the model almost anywhere that you can walk for a thousand yards (or meters). It does not have to be in a straight line, since the goal is to show you the sizes of the planets compared to the sizes of the orbits. If you do set it up in a straight line (as on a long bridge or trail) you should remind everyone that the planets never line up all in one line.

That said, here are some locations where the model has been set up with success, including maps to show where the planet stations can be placed.

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Resources

The Peppercorn Model of the Solar System: A presentation by Eric Myers for the joint meeting of the New York, New Jersey, and New England sections of the American Association of Physics Teachers, held at Marist College on Sept. 28th 2013.
Solar System Mystery Walk: The main idea of the Solar System Mystery Walk is that a group will travel through a scale model of the solar system marked out using the conventional symbols for the planets, which most people don't recognize. When you arrive at a new planet, whoever in the group is carrying the envelope marked with that symbol opens it up to reveal the name of the planet and share some facts about it.