Explore 32 Solar system Collections - Atlas Obscura
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West Lafayette, Indiana

The Voss Model

A Fibonnaci spiral model of our solar system.
An artist's rendering of NASA's Europa Clipper passing over the ice-covered moon Europa as it orbits Jupiter. The spacecraft is scheduled to reach Jupiter in 2030.
science

How Many Other Oceans Exist in Our Solar System?

Some of the moons orbiting Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus may hide deep saltwater expanses beneath their icy crusts.
Robin George Andrews March 18, 2025
Manzanares, Spain

Paseo del Sistema Solar

A scale model of our Solar System, where physical representations of the Sun and planets have been placed along a route in the local park.
An interferogram of Kathmandu shows the amount of land deformation after a 2015 quake: Each color represents about an inch of deformation. In areas that appear speckled, including the large area on the right, the ground deformed more than three feet.
science

Plate Tectonics Has a Surprise Silver Lining

Without this restless geologic process, which triggers destructive earthquakes, Earth would not be habitable.
Robin George Andrews May 29, 2024
festivals

Podcast: Total Eclipse of Our Hearts

Want to relive the eclipse? Then, listen up.
The Podcast Team April 9, 2024
Astronaut David Bowman, played by actor Keir Dullea, looks out at the cosmos in the 1968 film <em>2001: A Space Odyssey</em>.
music

The Best Eclipse Songs To Add To Your Totality Playlist

From Monty Python’s “Galaxy Song” to Hans Zimmer’s “Time.”
Sarah Durn April 2, 2024
A copy of a 15th-century chart, attributed to Regiomontanus, to plot the movement of the Moon using a string attached to the chart's center.
astronomy

How One of Science's Biggest Errors Persisted for 1,500 Years

Ptolemy's compendium, later known as the Almagest, dominated Western astronomy for 15 centuries. It was also wrong, and it took the fall of an empire to fix it.
Rebecca Boyle February 28, 2024
The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was a test—and a first in the history of aviation
space exploration

Where the Little Helicopter on Mars Fits in the History of Aviation

If the past is any guide, things are going to take off quickly.
Robin George Andrews February 13, 2024
A illustration imagines the aftermath of Earth's collision with Theia, and how the material ejected by it slowly began to reform into an orbital body.
science

Theia and the Collision That Gave Birth to the Moon

Evidence deep within the planet suggests that remnants of Earth's catastrophic twin might still lie below.
Robin George Andrews December 4, 2023
Saturn at its closest point to Earth in 2019.
astronomy

Saturn at Opposition Is an Unforgettable Stargazing Experience

The ringed planet will be at its closest point to Earth, and opposite the sun, this weekend.
Rebecca Boyle August 23, 2023
The Globe, also known as the Avicii Arena, inspired the Sweden Solar System.
maps

There’s an Entire Solar System Hiding In Sweden

Get ready for the most peculiar road trip that will help you understand the vastness and emptiness of the solar system—and Sweden.
Frank Jacobs July 14, 2023
Saturn
Washington, D.C.

American Geophysical Union Sidewalk Planet Display

A brass and marble scale model of the solar system embedded in the concrete.
Otford Solar Sytem
Otford, England

Otford Solar System

In this scale model, our neighboring planets are represented by metal spheres spread across an English village. The nearest stars are represented by spheres in California and Australia.
astronomy

Why a 16th-Century Artist Imagined Comets as Glorious, Fiery Swords

Explore a captivating compendium of cosmic illustrations.
Jessica Leigh Hester May 29, 2020
Planetarium Zuylenburg.
Oud-Zuilen, Netherlands

Planetarium Zuylenburg

This functional solar system model was inspired by the famous Eisinga Planetarium.
Göttingen, Germany

Planetenweg Göttingen

A 1:2 billion-scale solar system leads visitors into this German university town.
A 19th-century astronomer's map, titled "Stars for July."
maps

See How the Moon Has Been Mapped Through Time

A new exhibit in London has 300 years of celestial ephemera on display.
Evan Nicole Brown July 3, 2019
The corona is most visible during a total solar eclipse, like this one, captured on August 21, 2017.
telescopes

How Do You Do Color Commentary for an Eclipse?

Live from space, it’s a grand celestial phenomenon!
Jessica Leigh Hester July 2, 2019