Fort Roberdeau Space Discovery Trail - Blair County, PA - Solar System Models on Waymarking.com

The grounds of Fort Roberdeau are open for visitors 8:00am to sunset daily. There is no charge to explore the grounds, including the solar system distance model.

Further tours of the Fort and inside exhibits are available May - October for $6.00

Your trip begins and ends at the Mt Lion Observatory, a journey extending 2.8 billion miles into outer space, all in the span of a third of a mile. At each stop, enjoy brief descriptions about the planets.

The scale of sizes of the planets are shown on the first sign. The walking trail shows the scale of distance from the sun. This trail is a grassy path with slight elevation.

Scale Trail Distance

It is nearly impossible to represent both the true sizes and distances of our solar system at the same time. Correctly sizing the planets as you see here sacrifices all notion of how far apart they truly are.

Our Observatory represents the Sun. Walk the trail, watching for wooden planet markers around its outer edge. Note how the Terrestrial planets - small and rocky - huddle for warmth close to the Sun, while the gas giant Jovian worlds are widely spaced through our solar system's frigid, outer reaches. (from information sign)

Address: 383 Fort Roberdeau Road Altoona, PA 16601 To-Scale by distance: yes To-Scale by Size: no Is the model an Orrery?: no Web Page: [Web Link] Hours: 8:00am to sunset Admission Fee: 0.00 (listed in local currency)

Visit Instructions:
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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/28/2022 ted28285 visited it