The portable version of the OOSS exhibit is a great solution for an individual school, instructor, or family.  But since portable models are displayed only temporarily, they provide educational benefits to only a limited number of people.

Community leaders who are interested in providing unlimited access to a Solar System model should consider the idea of a permanently-installed Solar System exhibit that can benefit everyone in the community:
  • College students
  • Public school students of all ages
  • Private school and home-school students
  • All people in the community — even adults! — who are curious about the true scale of our Solar System, and about the distance to the nearest star.

A permanent Solar System model will benefit a community in several ways:
  • Promote scientific literacy by correcting common misconceptions.
  • Aid the educators in your community.  School administrators, teachers, and professors understand the importance of educating people about the scale of our Solar System… and they also understand the challenge in conveying this information accurately.  Common educational media formats (like textbook pages and web pages) are not adequate for accurately illustrating the Solar System.  As a result, there are many educators who invest a significant amount of time setting up their own temporary scale models every time they teach a Solar System unit.  OOSS applauds their efforts, but we also believe that these educators will realize many benefits when they have access to a permanent Solar System exhibit.
  • Provide a cultural amenity that will delight residents and visitors alike.  Currently, only a very small percentage of communities have scale models of the Solar System.  Those few that do repeatedly attract residents and visitors.  The inherent cultural and recreational value of a Solar System exhibit tends to fascinate and delight people of all ages.
  • Attract more people to a specific part of the community, such as a historic downtown area or a commercial district.  By installing a Solar System exhibit, your community can provide yet another incentive for people to walk through the area you are targeting.  OOSS models are a half-mile or more in length, so they are long enough to cover the entire distance of most business districts.  As people walk from one end to the other (and usually back again), they will notice businesses along the way, and have opportunities to stop in.

​The ideal length for a true-scale model of the Solar System is three-quarters of a mile.  However, since in most communities the optimal location will not measure exactly that length, OOSS customizes the scale of the exhibit upward or downward as necessary, in order to accommodate the specific dimensions of your site.

OOSS exhibits consist of several metal panels (about 30, depending on the parameters of your site).  These panels are fabricated from the highest-quality metal graphics material (also used by military and aerospace organizations).  This ensures decades of resistance to sunlight exposure, temperature extremes, abrasion, corrosion, etc.*

*Although OOSS uses the most durable product available, due to a number of variables that are outside our ability to control, we do not warrant the performance of the materials.

On these panels, the largest Solar System objects are clearly labeled and shown at their correct sizes relative to the Sun.  Their orbits are illustrated, and each panel is installed at the position corresponding to its average orbital distance from the Sun.  The panels also contain smart phone links that allow viewers to find more information about each Solar System object.
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Please click the links below to view illustrations for a Solar System installation (these images allow you to zoom in for more detail):
A permanent installation is simply the best way to convey the true scale of the Solar System.  

That is no trivial matter.  It requires public will and study and planning and resources and time and effort.

Is it worth all that?

If we want to encourage scientific literacy in our communities, then yes… it is absolutely worth it.

OOSS can install a true-scale solar system exhibit in your community, and it may cost less than you might expect.
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Please contact OOSS in order to discuss a permanent Solar System installation for your community.