Sunspot Solar System Model, Sunspot, NM, USA
N 32° 57.825 W 105° 44.871
13S E 430109 N 3647516
This huge solar system model spreads over several miles, with the central point being the Sunspot Astronomy and Visitors Center.
Waymark Code: WMCZQB
Location: New Mexico, United States
Date Posted: 10/30/2011
Views: 5
The Sunspot Astronomy and Visitors Center is the location of the sign that represents the sun, in this huge solar system model that extends from Cloudcroft (the sun) to the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo (Neptune) at a scale of 1:250 million.
The model includes a large inflatable sun at the Sunspot Astronomy and Visitors Center, and road signs (that represent the planets) which were installed by the New Mexico Department of Transportation (Roswell District 2, Tularosa Maintenance Yard).
This Solar System Model is the largest west of the Mississippi River, the 3rd largest in the U.S., and the 6th largest in the world.
Address:
Sunspot Astronomy and Visitors Center
3004 Telescope Loop
Sunspot, NM United States
88349
To-Scale by distance: yes
To-Scale by Size: yes
Is the model an Orrery?: no
Web Page: [Web Link]
Hours:
Daylight hours for the road signs
For the models inside the museum:
Summer hours: Every day from 9am to 5pm from March to January.
Winter hours: Please call (575) 434-7000 for the schedule.
Admission Fee: 8.00 (listed in local currency)
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Visit Instructions:
To post a visit to a solar system model, please include at least one picture of the model, preferably from a different perspective from the other photos already taken. You and/or your GPS unit need not be in it. More photos are encouraged. Please also describe your visit in the log. If you cannot take a photo, then please describe your visit well enough so that readers can form a "mental picture".