Sweden Solar System

Mercury in Stockholm Peter Varhelyi on Wikipedia (Creative Commons)

The Sweden Solar System is the world’s largest model of our planetary system, at a scale of 1:20 million.

The sun is represented by the Globe Arena in Stockholm, the largest spherical building in the world. The planets, all appropriately scaled, are all around Stockholm and its suburbs. Jupiter (diameter 7.3 m) is at the Stockholm-Arlanda International Airport, Saturn is in Uppsala, and Pluto in Delsbo, 300 km from the Globe Arena. At each planet, a small exhibit provides information about astronomy and the mythological figure after whom each planet is named.

Even a few non-planets are represented in the Swedish solar system. Sedna, a trans-Neptunian object, can be found 912 km from the Globe Arena in the “Technical House” in Luleå.

Know Before You Go

How to find the objects:

1. The Sun - Stockholm Globe Arena. Address: Globen, Stockholm. How to get there: Take the subway in Stockholm to the stop Gullmarsplan. From there you have five minutes walk to Stockholm Globe Arena which is the model of the Sun. At the entrance to the ticket office, on the ground floor, you will find information about Sweden Solar System including a stone relief by artist Eric Ståhl describing the whole model.

2. Mercury - Stockholm Town Museum (Stockholms Stadsmuseum). Address: Ryssgården, Slussen, Stockholm. How to get there: Take the subway in Stockholm to the stop Slussen, and exit through the entrance Slussen. From there you have three minutes walk to the model of Mercury. Cross the square towards the left, and go down the curved stone stairs to the entrance of Stockholm Town Museum (Stockholms Stadsmuseum). Below the stairs, ten meters in front of the entrance to the museum, you will find the model of Mercury. It is kept warm - after all, Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun.

3. Venus - Observatoriemuseet. Address: The Old Observatory Hill, Stockholm. How to get there: Take the subway in Stockholm to the stop Rådmansgatan, and exit through the entrance Handelshögskolan. The Old Observatory Hill is covered by grass and trees and easy to recognize. The Observatory Museum lies on the top of the hill. You walk along a meandering path up the slope to the top. The model of Venus is inside the museum, which is open Saturdays and Sundays, with guided tours 12.00, 13.00 och 14.00 (subject to changes). For latest information about opening times and tours, call 08-31 58 10.

4. Earth and the Moon - Cosmonova and the National Museum of Natural History (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet). Address: Frescativägen 40, Stockholm. How to get there: Take the subway in Stockholm to the stop Universitetet. Outside the entrance to the subway you will find signs with directions how to get to Cosmonova and Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, a walk of 5-10 minutes. The model of Earth is inside the ticket office of the OmniMax cinema Cosmonova. Watch a film and look on the model on the way in, or ask in the ticket office to see the model of Earth between films. Call 08-519 551 30 for information about films and times for them.

5. Mars - Mörby Centrum. Address: Mörby Centrum, Danderyd. How to get there: Take the subway in Stockholm to the stop Mörby Centrum, and enter the shopping mall. The model of Mars in the upper level (the same level as the coffee shops), and close to one of the exits.

6. Jupiter - Arlanda Airport.Address: Arlanda Flygplats, outside of Sky City. How to get there: Take an airport shuttle from the centre of Stockholm to Arlanda, and get off the bus at the foreign travel terminal, "utrikes". Walk along the building in the same direction the bus came, until you are outside the part of the building labeled Sky City. There you find the model of Jupiter on the grass lawn in front of the building: a circular 7.3 meter large planting of flowers on a low hill. It is best seen in the summertime.

7. Saturnus - Uppsala. Not yet in place.

8. Uranus - in the area of Gävle. Address: Not yet in place. A new model will replace the old one, but at a new site.

9. Neptune - Söderhamn. Address: Söderhamn, Hälsingland. How to get there: Continue driving your car north towards Söderhamn. In the centre, close to the public library and the canal, you find the park "strykjärnsparken". There lies the model of Neptune. It is best seen after dark, when the glittering sphere of acrylic plastic (weight 3 tons!) is illuminated from within by means of a hidden light.

10. Pluto - Delsbo. Address: Delsbo, Hälsingland. How to get there: Continue with your car north to the little village of Delsbo which you will have to find on a map. You are now 300 km north of Stockholm. The model of Pluto and its satellite Charon is in a park, close to "Staffansgården" in the centre of Delsbo.

11. Asteroid 433 Eros - Mörbyskolan. Address: Vendevägen 94, Danderyd. How to get there: Take the underground/subway to Danderyds Sjukhus and follow signs to Mörbyskolan. These will lead you under the motorway. The school is on your left. By road you follow E18 to the Djursholm exit north of Stockholm. Go down to the big parkinglot by the subway. The school is on your right. The model is on the first floor in the central corridor as you enter.

12. Transneptunian Ixion - Härnösand. Address: Technichus, Storgatan 11, 871 31 Härnösand. How to get there: Further north of Delsbo (Pluto) you will find the Transneptunian 2001 KX76 in Härnösand. If you go by car, highway E4 is probably your choice. 2001 KX76 is located in the science center Technichus.

13. Transneptunian Eris - Umeå. Address: Umestans företagspark, house 56. How to get there: Contact Umevatoriet (umevatoriet@adm.umu.se) for information.

14. Transneptunian Sedna - Luleå. Address: .How to get there: Local bus no. 4 or 5 from center of Luleå, stop A. By car, from E4 turn direction Luleå. Follow signs "Universitetet" and "Teknikens hus". Red building with two yellow chimneys (www.teknikenshus.se).

15. Comet Swift-Tuttle - Karlshamn. Address: Karlshamn, Blekinge. How to get there: The model of comet Swift-Tuttle is far south of Stockholm, at "Kreativum", a science centre in the town of Karlshamn.

16. Termination shock - Kiruna. Address: Space Campus, E10, Kiruna. How to get there: Six kilometres before you reach Kiruna on the E10 highway (shortly after the turn-off to Jukkasjärvi) turn left to the Space Campus (signposted "Rymdcampus"). There is a plaque marking the Termination Shock on a plinth in the roundabout in front of the entrance to the Swedish Institute of Space Physics.

edit: Venus is moved to House of Science, AlbaNova University Centre now. The Observatory museum in Stockholm is closed, and its Venus model has been moved to the upper floor in Vetenskapens Hus.