h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: If Earth were the size of a pea - A3005984
Author: malmcgo - U888937

A very well-written entry previously in Peer Review here: F1887283?thread=484392

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This is an excellent way of bringing astronomical units into understandable distances, I had not read it before, thank you for adding it here. As I use imperial measurements myself, unlike the rest of the planet, I am not sure I could take this on as a challenge. I understand that there are other articles on the Web, but I would like to see h2g2 up there with the best. Just a thought, could you ask Dmitri to put this up as a challenge in ?

F S

Trying to understand Astronomical sizes and distances in a comprehensible manner is definitely a challenge – that's probably why Douglas Adams had the Total Perspective Vortex as a sure-fire way of frying your brain.

I knew I'd read an entry with a similar theme before:
Entry: The Spaced Out Project - A12457758
Author: spacedoutnigel - U3464130
It can be seen in Flea Market here: F74125?thread=4252110

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It looks like the project died at the sun http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/forum/whatever-happened-to-the-spaced-out-project-t128077.html The biggest problem I see with this approach is that few people outside the UK would be familiar with most of the places mentioned, and I doubt of the people living there would be familiar with them as well. The first thing you would need to do is establish a proper sun (Maybe the globe at Epcot?) and then start placing things near major cities. Although the scale would probably be less accurate than desired.

F S

Thanks for that link FS - I have seen that sun at Jodrell Bank and didn't appreciate what it was intended to be.

As you say, it is a challenge to try to establish interest in the places the planets would need to be, and schools are not exactly the best tourist attractions...

Looks like Uranus is still in the William Herschel Museum Garden, though http://herschelmuseum.org.uk/explore/

Hmm, why are we talking about 'Spaced Out' in this thread, eh
Anyway, I e-mailed Armagh Planetarium in Northern Ireland and asked if they've still got Neptune.

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This is starting to peak my interest, You say you saw 'the sun' at the Bank, how big was it? Just roughly. Last night I looked at the Planet Earth ride at Epcot, not to make this Florida centric, But it was the largest nearly spherical object I could think of at 160 (or 165) feet in diameter I make it be about 288,000,000 times smaller than the sun. This could be used to find other places at a comparable distance. I am beginning to think That the unit of measure is not as important as the comparable distances and relative size of the other planets.

F S

Reply so far:

From: Info Shared Mailbox
Sent: 04 October 2018 09:10
Subject: Automatic reply: Spaced Out Project

This is a shared mailbox at Armagh Observatory & Planetarium.
This mailbox is not actively monitored but is checked every few days.

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(I didn't get a reply)

I discovered that York has a solar system cycle path that is still in existence, as they're advertising 'Run the Solar System' events to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the landing.
http://www.york.ac.uk/solar/

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