The London Solar System

The London Solar System

“Space is big. Really big. You may think it is a long way down the road to the Chemist’s , but that’s just peanuts to space”

- The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. Space is big. Maybe even incomprehensibly big. But what about our Solar System? How big is that? You could look up a table of the sizes of the planets and the distances between them, but how much would that really mean? The aim of this book/pamphlet/thing is to give a real idea of how big the solar system is. The idea is this: We live and travel around the Earth. Although most of us probably do not think about it much, we have an idea about the size of the Earth. This book puts the Earth in the context of our Solar System by mapping a scale model of our Solar System onto the streets of London and describing a journey one can make through that scale model. To help keep a sense of that perspective, of that relative size of The Earth, it is useful to carry something with you to represent The Earth as you go. A typical stress-ball (if you read this before you set out) or a small apple (which you can buy when you get there) would give a reasonable approximation for comparisons as you go. Although this has been done for London it could be done anywhere. I happened to live in London when I wrote this and knew a bit about how to get around it, so it made sense for me to choose London. Choosing London helped determine the scale. This map of the solar system is made at a scale of 200,000:1. It seems to work for London. Another place may suit a different scale. The journey is described in terms of walking and tube journeys. The Sun and the first four planets (the inner solar system) are an easy walk from a starting point in Trafalgar Square. Crossing the Asteroid Belt there is a longer walk to the site representing Jupiter and from there the final three planets have described tube routes to reach them. They are too far to walk and the fact of travelling this way emphasises the distances involved. For each planet there is a description of its size, orbit and recognised moons. Pick a nice day and enjoy the journey. Best Wishes, Andrew Logan PS – All images are from the NASA website and my understanding is that they are copyright free.

The Sun

The Sun General Information We start in Trafalgar Square with The Sun. Imagine a ball of fire completely engulfing the large block with the scenes from Nelson’s life at the base of Nelson’s Column. That is The Sun for this journey. From certain points in this journey it will be possible to look back and see Nelson’s column again, helping to better appreciate the scale and the distance involved. The Sun is 1,392,000 km (864,950 miles) in diameter. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 the Sun would be 6.96m in diameter. The temperature on the surface of the sun is 5770oK (5496.8oC). The nuclear reactions that are the source of the light and heat we get from the Sun make the Sun a violent and volatile place, as the images on the previous page of a recent very large solar flare emphasise. Satellites The Sun is orbited by eight planets, a number of dwarf planets, asteroids and comets. Looking Out The nearest planet to the Sun is Mercury. To reach the scale site of Mercury, exit through the south end of Trafalgar Square and turn into the Mall through Admiralty Arch. Walk along the Mall until you reach the entrance to the ICA, just before the steps on your right. Trafalgar Square From the 14th to the late 17th century, much of the area occupied by Trafalgar Square was the courtyard of the Great Mews stabling, which served Whitehall Palace. In the early 18th century, the mews was put out of use by the Royal Household and the area was cleared. In 1812 the architect John Nash set about developing a new concept for the space as part of his improvement plans for London. He wanted the space to be a cultural space, open to the public. In 1830, it was officially named Trafalgar Square. In 1832 work began on the National Gallery, based on designs by the architect William Wilkins. Once this work was completed, in 1838, Sir Charles Barry (architect of the Palace of Westminster) presented a plan for the development of Trafalgar Square. Barry’s proposal included an upper terrace next to the National Gallery and a lower level square, linked by a staircase and including the Nelson memorial statue and two fountains. In 1843 Nelson’s Column, designed by William Railton, was erected, and in 1845, the fountains were built based on designs thought to be by Sir Charles Barry. Sir Edwin Landseer designed the bronze lions that were placed on guard at the base of Nelson’s Column in 1867. Also that year, the Imperial Standards of Length - detailing inches, feet, yards, links, chains, perches and poles - were set into the north terrace wall.

The Inner Solar System

Mercury Looking Inwards Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. Getting There Walk out of Trafalgar Square through Admiralty Arch and two minutes up, on the right hand side is the Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA). General Information Mercury is 4,878km in diameter. It orbits the Sun at a distance varying between 46,800km and 69,400km. This place is at a distance of about 290m from the centre of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 that represents an orbital distance of 58,000km. The planet Mercury at the same scale would be 2.4cm across which is the size of the circle below:

Mercury orbits the Sun once every 88 earth days and rotates about its own axis once every 58 earth days and 16 hours. So each Mercury year lasts 88 Earth days and each Mercury day lasts 58 Earth days, meaning that to Mercury each of its years lasts 1½ of its days. The atmosphere of Mercury is mainly comprised of Hydrogen, Helium and Neon. Satellites Mercury has no moons. Looking Out The next planet out from Mercury is Venus. Venus on this scale can be found on the bank of St. James’ Park Lake. To get there, cross the Mall at the pedestrian crossing on the other side of the steps. Follow the path into St. James Park towards the lake, bearing round the right and passing the Inn The Park restaurant. Where the path meets the Lake is where we reach Venus. The ICA The Institute of Contemporary Arts was established in 1947 by a collective of artists, poets and writers to showcase and champion contemporary culture across a wide range of art forms. The ICA consists of two galleries, two cinemas, a theatre, a bookshop, a bar and café and private function rooms. Its programme covers visual arts, digital arts, music, cinema, talks and educational events.

Venus

Looking Inwards Venus is the second closest planet to the Sun. The next planet in toward the Sun from Venus is Mercury. Getting There Walking anti-clockwise around St. James’ Park Lake, just after passing the Inn The Park restaurant the path goes down to the edge of the Lake. The final approach of the path to the lake crosses the orbit of Venus. General Information Venus is 12,102km in diameter. It orbits the Sun at a distance varying between 107,600km and 109,000km. This place is at a distance of 540m from the centre of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 that represents an orbital distance of 108,000km. The planet Venus at the same scale would be 6cm across which is the size of the circle below:

Venus orbits the Sun once every 224.7 earth days and rotates about its own axis once every 243 earth days. So on Venus each year lasts 224.7 earth days and every day lasts 243 earth days, meaning that to Venus each of its years is slightly shorter than each of its days. The atmosphere of Venus is mainly comprised of Carbon Dioxide and viewed from space all that can be seen is a dense covering of cloud. Satellites Venus has no moons. Looking Out The next planet out from Venus is The Earth. To get to the location for The Earth, continue to follow the path by the Lake along toward the bridge that crosses the lake. The orbit of The Earth comes across the lake and across the path, cutting through the mound of earth on your right where the path around the lake crosses the path to the bridge.

The Earth Looking Inwards The Earth is the third planet out from the Sun. The next planet in toward the Sun from The Earth is Venus. Getting There Walk anti-clockwise along St. James' Park Lake, heading toward Buckingham Palace until just before you reach the bridge across the lake. The orbit of The Earth comes across the lake and across the path, cutting through the mound of earth on your right where the path around the lake crosses the path to the bridge. General Information The Earth is 12,756km in diameter. It orbits the Sun at a distance varying between 147,400km and 152,600km. This place is at a distance of 750m from the centre of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 that represents an orbital distance of 150,000km. The Earth at the same scale would be 6.4cm across which is the size of the circle below:

The Earth orbits the Sun once every 365.26 days and rotates about its own axis once every 23 hours, 56 mins and 4 seconds. The atmosphere of Earth is mainly comprised of Nitrogen and Oxygen and viewed from space the surface can be seen through forming and breaking patterns of cloud. Satellites The Earth has one natural satellite, The Moon. The Moon is 3,476km in diameter and orbits The Earth at a distance of 384,000km. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 that is equivalent to an orbital distance of 1.9m. The moon at the same scale is 1.7cm in diameter, which is the size of the circle on the top of the next page:

Looking Out The next planet out from The Earth is Mars. Mars is at the Victoria Memorial, just in front of Buckingham Palace. Continue walking through St. James’ Park toward Buckingham Palace, leave by the path on your right near the end of the lake. Turn left when you reach The Mall and cross at the pedestrian crossing that takes you onto the Victoria Memorial. St. James’s Park St James's Park is the oldest Royal Park in London. The Park was once a marshy water meadow. In the thirteenth century a leper hospital was founded, and it is from this hospital that the Park took its name. In 1532 Henry VIII acquired the site as yet another deer park and built the Palace of St James's. When Elizabeth I came to the throne she indulged her love of pageantry and pomp, and fetes of all kinds were held in the park. Her successor, James I, improved the drainage and controlled the water supply. A road was created in front of St James's Palace, approximately where the Mall is today, but it was Charles II who made dramatic changes. The Park was redesigned, with avenues of trees planted and lawns laid. The King opened the park to the public and was a frequent visitor, feeding the ducks and mingling with his subjects. During the Hanoverian period, Horse Guards Parade was created by filling in one end of the long canal and was used first as a mustering ground and later for parades. Horse Guards Parade is still part of St James's Park. The Park changed forever when John Nash redesigned it in a more romantic style. The canal was transformed into a natural-looking lake and in 1837 the Ornithological Society of London presented some birds to the Park and erected a cottage for a birdkeeper. Both the cottage and the position of birdkeeper remain to this day.

Mars Looking Inwards Mars is the fourth planet out from the Sun. The next planet in toward the Sun from Mars is The Earth. Getting There The Queen Victoria Memorial is directly in front of Buckingham Palace. General Information Mars is 6,794km in diameter. It orbits the Sun at a distance varying between 207,300km and 249,200km. The Queen Victoria Memorial is approximately 1100m from the centre of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 that represents an orbital distance of 220,000km. The planet Mars at the same scale would be 3.4cm across which is the size of the circle below:

Mars orbits the Sun once every 687 earth days and rotates about its own axis once every 24 hours, 37 mins and 23 seconds. That means that there are approximately 670 Martian days in one Martian year. The atmosphere of Mars is mainly comprised of Carbon Dioxide. Satellites Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. Phobos is 27km in diameter and orbits Mars at a distance of 938,000km. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 Phobos would orbit at a distance of 4.69m and would be 0.14mm in diameter. Deimos is 15km in diameter and orbits Mars at a distance of 2,346,000km. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 Deimos would orbit at a distance of 11.73m and would be 0.08mm in diameter. Phobos and Deimos are small, irregularly shaped “moons” that are quite likely captured asteroids. Looking Out The next planet out from Mars is Jupiter. To reach Jupiter you must cross The Asteroid Belt. For the walking route see below. Otherwise, to reach the site of Jupiter directly, walk up Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner. Find Bus Stop “M”. Take the Bus 10 towards Hammersmith Broadway Bus Stn or Bus 52 towards Willesden Bus Garage.

Queen Victoria Memorial Outside Buckingham Palace is the Queen Victoria Memorial, which celebrates the days of the British Empire. The memorial includes marble statues of Queen Victoria and figures of Victory, Courage and Constancy. Also part of the memorial are the ornamental gates given by the Dominions. These are the Australia Gate, South Africa Gate and Canada Gate.

The Asteroid Belt

The Asteroid Belt

Looking Inwards The last planet inside the Asteroid Belt is Mars. Getting There The Asteroid Belt covers a very wide area and as the route to Jupiter is the last readily walkable part of this journey. Walk along Constitution Hill, that is continue away from Trafalgar Square with Green Park on your right and Buckingham Palace on your left. As you move up Constitution Hill the Asteroid Belt gets denser. By the time you reach the memorial to Volunteer Soldiers from the Commonwealth you are in the Asteroid Belt proper. Cross over to Hyde Park Corner and go into Hyde Park. Walk up along the side of Rotten Row (where the horses exercise). The Asteroid Belt continues as a crowded zone up until approximately the level of the Hyde Park Barracks (the single high building along the side of the park to your left). General Information The Asteroid Belt divides the inner from the outer Solar System. The main bulk of the Asteroid Belt lies between 300,000km and 510,000km from the Sun, although acknowledged members of the Asteroid Belt spread all the way between (and intersecting with) the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are material left over from the formation of the solar system. One theory suggests that they are the remains of a planet or moon that was destroyed in a massive collision. Alternatively, asteroids may be material that never coalesced into a planet. If the estimated total mass of all asteroids was gathered into a single planet or moon it would be less than 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) across, less than half the diameter of our Moon. The Trojan asteroids lie in Jupiter's orbit, in two distinct regions in front of and behind the planet. Most asteroids are very small but 16 asteroids have a diameter of at least 240 km (150 miles) and Ceres, the largest, has a diameter of about 914 km (568 miles). Remember that the “moons” of Mars are only 15 and 27 km in diameter. Looking Out The first planet outside the Asteroid Belt is Jupiter. From the end of Rotten Row, cross West Carriage Drive into Kensington Gardens and follow the paths to Round Pond. The side of Round Pond facing toward Kensington Palace is the site of Jupiter. Hyde Park Hyde Park is one of London's finest landscapes and covers over 350 acres. Henry VIII acquired Hyde Park from the monks of Westminster Abbey in 1536; he and his court were often to be seen riding there in the hunt for deer. It remained a private hunting ground until James I came to the throne and permitted limited access. The King appointed a ranger, or keeper, to take charge of the park. It was Charles I

who changed the nature of the park completely. He had the Ring (north of the present Serpentine boathouses) created and in 1637 opened the park to the general public. In 1665, the year of the Great Plague, many citizens of London fled the City to camp on Hyde Park, in the hope of escaping the disease. Towards the end of the 17th century William III -moved his court to Kensington Palace. He found that his walk to St James's was very dangerous, so he had 300 oil lamps installed, creating the first artificially lit highway in the country. This route later became known as Rotten Row, which is a corruption of the French 'Route de Roi' or King's Road. Queen Caroline, wife of George II, had extensive renovations carried out and in the 1730s had The Serpentine, a lake of some 11.34 hectares, created. Hyde Park became a venue for national celebrations. In 1814 the Prince Regent organised fireworks to mark the end of the Napoleonic Wars, in 1851 (during Queen Victoria's reign) the Great Exhibition was held and in 1977 a Silver Jubilee Exhibition was held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's 25 years on the throne. The Lido was set up by George Lansbury, the first Commissioner of Works, in 1930 and in warm weather is used for sunbathing and swimming.

The Outer Solar System

Jupiter Looking Inwards Jupiter is the fifth planet out from the Sun. The next planet in toward the Sun from Jupiter is Mars. Getting There The side of Round Pond facing toward Kensington Palace in Kensington Gardens is the site of Jupiter. General Information Jupiter is a massive 142,800km in diameter, which is nearly 12 times the diameter of the Earth. It orbits the Sun at a distance varying between 740,600km and 817,400km. This place is at a distance of about 3.9km from the centre of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 that represents an orbital distance of 780,000km. At the same scale Jupiter would be 71.4cm across. Printed on A4 paper this page is 29.7cm high, so the size of Jupiter is 2.40 times the size of this page. Jupiter orbits the Sun once every 4329 earth days (11.86 earth years) and rotates about its own axis once every 9 hours, 50 mins and 30 seconds. That means that there are more than 10,380 Jupiter days in one Jupiter year. The atmosphere of Jupiter is mainly comprised of hydrogen and methane. Satellites The four major moons of Jupiter were discovered by the Italian innovator, astronomer and champion of truth Galileo Galilei in 1610. The four so-called Galilean Moons are: Satellite Distance

(km) Diameter

(km) Scale Distance

(m) Scale Diameter

(mm) Io 422,000 3,650 2.11 18.25 Europa 671,000 3,104 3.36 15.52 Ganymede 1,070,000 5,260 5.35 26.30 Callisto 1,883,000 4,800 9.42 24.00 These moons can be seen using a small telescope, as Galileo did. Jupiter has 4 named ‘inner moonlets’ orbiting between Io and Jupiter. They are: Satellite Distance

(km) Diameter

(km) Scale Distance

(m) Scale Diameter

(mm) Melis 128,000 40 0.64 0.20 Adrastea 129,000 24 0.65 0.12 Amalthea 181,000 270 0.91 1.35 Thebe 222,000 100 1.11 0.50

In addition to these there are at least 59 ‘outer moons’ that have been catalogued and these include: Satellite Distance

(km) Diameter

(km) Scale Distance

(m) Scale Diameter

(mm) Leda 11,100,000 20 55.50 0.10 Himalia 11,480,000 186 57.40 0.93 Lysithea 11,720,000 40 58.60 0.20 Elara 11,740,000 80 58.70 0.40 Ananka 21,200,000 30 106.00 0.15 Carme 22,600,000 40 113.00 0.20 Pasiphae 23,500,000 50 117.50 0.25 Sinope 23,700,000 40 118.50 0.20 Looking Out The next planet out from Jupiter is Saturn. To get to the site of Saturn we need to use the tube. Walk along the wide path heading North, that puts Kensington Palace on your left and Round Pond on your right. Follow this path to the Black Lion Gate exit to Kensington Gardens and cross the road to get to Queensway tube. A short tube ride from Queensway to Shepherd's Bush, both on the Central Line, brings us to the next site, Shepherd's Bush Green. Kensington Gardens Kensington Gardens covers 260 acres and was originally part of Hyde Park. The Gardens with their magnificent trees are the setting for Kensington Palace, the choice of William III and Mary II for their London home. William III bought what was originally part of Hyde Park in 1689. An asthma sufferer, the king found the location quiet and the air salubrious and so he commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to design the redbrick building that is Kensington Palace. Queen Anne enlarged the Palace Gardens by 'transferring' 30 acres from Hyde Park and was responsible for the creation of the Orangery in 1704. It was Queen Caroline, wife of George II, who in 1728 moulded the gardens to their present form by creating the Serpentine and the Long Water from the Westbourne stream. For most of the 18th century the gardens were closed to the public. They were opened gradually but only to the respectably dressed. Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace and lived there until she became queen in 1837. In a long series of improvements Queen Victoria commissioned the Italian Gardens and the Albert Memorial. One of the best loved features in the Gardens is the bronze statue of Peter Pan. This charming piece features Peter Pan standing on a pedestal covered with climbing squirrels, rabbits and mice.

Saturn Looking Inwards Saturn is the sixth planet out from the Sun. The next planet in toward the Sun from Saturn is Jupiter. Getting There The site for Saturn is Shepherd's Bush Green. General Information Saturn is 120,000km in diameter, which is nearly 10 times the diameter of the Earth. It orbits the Sun at a distance varying between 1,346,000km and 1,512,000km. Shepard’s Bush Green is about 7km from the centre of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 that represents an orbital distance of 1,400,000km. The planet Saturn on the same scale would be 60cm across. On A4 paper this page is 29.7cm high, so at scale the size of Jupiter is slightly more than double the size of this page. Saturn orbits the Sun once every 10,753 earth days (29.46 earth years) and rotates about its own axis once every 10 hours, 14 mins. That means that there are more than 25,000 Saturn days in one Saturn year. The atmosphere of Saturn is mainly comprised of hydrogen and helium. Satellites According to wikipedia in March 2015, “Saturn has 62 moons with confirmed orbits, 53 of which have names and only 13 of which have diameters larger than 50 kilometers”. The smallest roughly spherical moon is Phoebe, one of the 9 largest. The only truly spherical moon is Titan. Satellite Distance

(km) Diameter

(km) Scale Distance

(m) Scale Diameter

(mm) Mimas 186,000 397 0.93 1.95 Enceladus 238,000 504 1.19 2.50 Tethys 295,000 1,062 1.48 5.25 Dione 377,000 1,122 1.89 5.60 Rhea 527,000 1,527 2.64 7.65 Titan 1,222,000 5,151 6.11 25.75 Hyperion 1,481,000 270 7.41 2.40 Iapetus 3,560,000 1,469 17.80 7.30 Phoebe 12,950,000 213 64.75 1.10 The other 4 larger ‘moons’ are: Satellite Distance

(km) Diameter

(km) Scale Distance

(m) Scale Diameter

(mm) Prometheus 139,000 86.2 0.70 0.50 Pandora 142,000 81.4 0.71 0.50 Epimetheus 151,000 116.2 0.76 0.70 Janus 151,000 179.0 0.76 1.00

Saturn also has the clearest system of rings, although all of the outer planets have some rings. The width and definition of the rings is partly created by a set of so called Shepherd moons. The Shepard Moons are Pan, Daphnis, Atlas, Prometheus and Pandora. Saturn also has moons with associated Trojan moons. Trojan moons orbit ahead of or behind another moon in the same orbit. Tethys has two trojan moons, Telesto (leading) and Calypso (trailing). Dione also has two torjan moons, Helene (leading) and Polydeuces (trailing). You will have noticed that Epimetheus and Janus have the same orbital distance. They are so-called co-orbital and swap orbits, one moving inside and one outside approximately every four (Earth) years. Looking Out The next planet out from Saturn is Uranus. The location of Uranus is Perivale, a station on the Central line. Shepherd’s Bush Green Shepherd’s Bush is home to a famous theatre turned television studio turned music venue, the Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Shepherd’s Bush has always been a bustling area with variety of shops, cafes and pubs.

Uranus Looking Inwards Uranus is the seventh planet out from the Sun. The next planet in toward the Sun from Uranus is Saturn. Getting There The location of Uranus is Perivale, a station on the Central line. This location is approximately 14km from Trafalgar Square. General Information Uranus is 51,000km in diameter. This is significantly larger than the 12,756km diameter of the Earth. Uranus orbits the Sun at a distance varying between 2,740,000km and 3,011,000km. This site is about 14km from the centre of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 that represents an orbital distance of 2,800,000km. The planet Uranus at the same scale would be 26cm across which is slightly more than the width of this page (21cm) and slightly less than the length of this page (29.7cm). Uranus orbits the Sun once every 30,664 earth days (84.01 earth years) and rotates about its own axis once every 16 to 28 hours. The difference in speed of rotation depends upon distance from the equator. That means that for some parts of the planet there are more than 45,995 Uranus days in one Uranus year while for other parts of the planet a Uranus year lasts about 26,280 Uranus days. The atmosphere of Uranus is mainly comprised of methane, helium and hydrogen. Satellites Uranus has 5 major satellites as follows: Satellite Distance

(km) Diameter

(km) Scale Distance

(m) Scale Diameter

(mm) Miranda 130,000 480 0.65 2.40 Ariel 191,000 1,160 0.96 5.80 Umbriel 266,000 1,170 1.33 5.85 Titania 436,000 1,580 2.18 7.90 Oberon 583,000 1,500 2.92 7.50 Uranus also at least 13 inner moonlets, at least nine irregular outer moons and a system of rings. Looking Out The next planet out from Uranus is Neptune. The location of Neptune is West Ruislip, the last station on the Central line. Perivale Perivale is a ward in Greenford, Middlesex which lies within the London Borough of Ealing in West London largely North of the Western Avenue (A40) bordering Wembley, Alperton, & Ealing. Perivale is the location of the spectacular Art Deco Hoover Building, a prominent landmark on the Western Avenue

Neptune Looking Inwards Neptune is the eighth planet out from the Sun. The next planet in toward the Sun from Neptune is Uranus. Getting There The location of Neptune is West Ruislip, the last station on the Central line and is approximately 22.5km from Trafalgar Square. General Information Neptune is 49,500km in diameter. It orbits the Sun at a distance varying between 4,466,000km and 4,543,000km. This place is approximately 22.5km from the centre of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 that represents an orbital distance of 4,500,000km. The planet Neptune at the same scale would be 25cm across. That is about the same as the height of one of these pages when full of text. Neptune orbits the Sun once every 60,148 earth days (164.79 earth years) and rotates about its own axis once every 18 to 20 hours. The difference in speed of rotation depends upon distance from the equator. That means that for some parts of the planet there are more than 80,198 Neptune days in one Neptune year while for other parts of the planet a Neptune year lasts about 72,178 Neptune days. The atmosphere of Neptune is mainly comprised of methane and hydrogen. Satellites Neptune has two satellites, Triton and Nereid. Triton is 2,720km in diameter and orbits Neptune at a distance of 355,000km. Nereid is 300km in diameter and orbits Mars at a distance of 5,510,000km. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 Triton would orbit at a distance of 1.78m and Nereid would orbit at a distance of 27.55m from here. On that scale, Triton would be 13.6mm in diameter and Nereid would be 1.5mm in diameter. Looking Out Beyond Neptune there are a number of dwarf planets including Pluto. To reach the typical orbit of Pluto it would be necessary to travel out to Windsor. At a scale of 200,000,000:1 Pluto is only 1.2cm across. Pluto orbits the Sun once every 90,411 earth days (247.7 earth years) and rotates about its own axis once every 153 hours. This means that there are 14,182 Pluto days to each Pluto year. Pluto is arguably a binary system with Charon and it or they have 4 other moons. The atmosphere of Pluto is mainly comprised of methane and the surface is covered in frozen methane. West Ruislip When originally researching this I struggled to find anything of interest close to West Ruislip station. The station seemed to be the thing of interest in the space it occupied. As that seemed appropriate for the outer planet of the solar system, where the real vast emptiness that is space begins from the perspective of The Earth, it seemed appropriate to let that lack of information stand.