The LASSP Vision

The Solar System is a grand place, wider than we can imagine, very much an empty place.

If the sun were the size of the Griffith Observatory Planetarium Dome, the earth would be little bigger than a soccer ball, more than a mile away. The moon would be the size of a baseball 23 feet from the earth. The nearest star would be 100,000 miles above the Indian Ocean.

Whether you grew up with Flash Gordon, James T. Kirk, or Skywalker, no one is zooming from planet to planet on a day-to-day basis. Visit our sculptural interpretation of the planets around southern California to experience the size and scope of the solar system.

Jack Anderson
Project Designer

The Model

The Sun

The scale of the project is determined by the size of the planetarium dome. At 83 feet, it is 55 million times smaller than the sun.

The Terrestrial Planets

PPlanets orbit the Sun on an elliptical path. The circles represent the aphelion (furthest) and perihelion (closest) points a planet travels on its way around the Sun. The apparent size of the planetarium dome will match the apparent size of the sun from any point on the blue circle (Earth's orbit).

The Gas Giants

The Sun represents 99% of the mass of the solar system. The Gas Giants have 99% of the remaining mass consisting mostly of basic elements hydrogen, helium, carbon and oxygen. Their large size let us explore spherical structures.

The Dwarf Planets and Asteroids

Thousands of objects orbit the Sun. Many, including Pluto, are resonant with the orbit of Neptune. The twenty-nine largest can be placed around Southern California. One could be as far as St. Louis. Proxima Centuri, the nearest star, in the model would be almost halfway to the moon.

Get Involved

The Solar System Project will provide a connection between art and science, a connection between our city and our sun, a connection between our world and ourselves, and a connection between the cultural and educational institutions of Los Angeles.

Host locations from Hollywood to Mt. Wilson and from Santa Catalina Island to Pasadena will host a planet, a dwarf planet or an asteroid.

Visitors to these locations will connect with our city and the region in a new way. A visit to one location will inspire curiosity about others. Avid astronomy fans will be compelled to visit every site. School children on a field trip will see their place in the city in a new light and enjoy a new perspective for their place in the universe. They will connect one with the next and connect with each other.

Contact

Email us for more information about sponsorship or becoming a host location:

info@lassp.org