The portal / Create a Solar System trail
THE PRACTICAL GUIDE
Create your own
Solar System.
A park, a school playground or a display board: choose your format, work out the distances and install the stations at your own pace.
IN FOUR STEPS
A custom trail, made simple
Find a suitable route
Choose a path where people can stop and move safely. Measure along the actual route, even if it has bends.
Choose the scale
Compare the available length with the four formats. They keep the same proportions: only the model’s size changes.
Mark the distances
The Sun is the zero point. Place each planet at the distance shown in the table, measured along the route.
Print the fact sheets
Download the Sun’s sheet and those of the planets on your trail. The QR codes open online information.
DISTANCE TABLE
Each planet, four formats
Distance between the centre of the Sun and the centre of each planet along the trail.
Large: Neptune is about 4.52 km from the Sun. The Sun’s diameter at this scale is about 1.39 m.
| Planet | Largeup to 5 km | Smallup to 500 m | Miniup to 50 m | Microup to 5 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 57.9 m | 5.79 m | 57.9 cm | 5.8 cm |
| Venus | 108.2 m | 10.8 m | 1.08 m | 10.8 cm |
| Earth | 149.6 m | 15.0 m | 1.50 m | 15.0 cm |
| Mars | 228.0 m | 22.8 m | 2.28 m | 22.8 cm |
| Jupiter | 778.5 m | 77.8 m | 7.79 m | 77.8 cm |
| Saturn | 1.43 km | 143.2 m | 14.3 m | 1.43 m |
| Uranus | 2.87 km | 286.7 m | 28.7 m | 2.87 m |
| Neptune | 4.51 km | 451.5 m | 45.1 m | 4.51 m |
Neptune lies at about 90% of each format’s nominal length. Table values are rounded to simplify installation.
PRINTABLE MATERIALS
A sheet for each station
Each A4 sheet combines an illustration, scientific facts, distances in all four formats and a QR code.
Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
NeptuneQR codes for the starting pages
THE BOOK AND ITS DIGITAL COMPANION · FREE
Comment créer son propre parcours solaire
Steve Cimolino’s practical educational guide helps you create your own Solar System trail. Discover 124 illustrated pages on understanding scales, calculating distances, building stations and connecting your trail to digital resources.
A web kit for your own hosting
Customise your trail’s name, scale and address. The kit includes nine pages from the Sun to Neptune, printable A4 panels and QR codes generated with your URL. No database or PHP required.
The PDF is in French. The kit includes its installation guide and MIT licence; the book and its illustrations retain their own rights. To export a customised kit, use the configurator over HTTP(S), then test the QR codes before printing.
Trail resources.
The Solar System Trail mini-site, its planet pages, printable sheets and configurator remain accessible.