Scale Model Experiences and Activities

These activities use scale models to represent astronomical objects and distances in physical spaces that participants can see, touch, and walk through. Each activity provides materials lists, step-by-step instructions, and background information for instructors.

Solar System Scale Model A paper-folding activity that maps the distances of the Solar System onto the Empire State Building. Participants cut a strip of tape to their height, fold it to locate each planet, and compare three scales: their body, the building, and the real Solar System. Designed for 3rd grade and up, approximately 15–20 minutes.
Sports Courts & Fields Scale Models A collection of six demonstrations that use familiar sports venues — basketball courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, tracks, and swimming pools — as frameworks for scale models of the Earth–Moon system, the Solar System, the Milky Way galaxy, and the observable universe.
Nested Spheres — Interactive 3D Scale Viewer An interactive 3D visualization of nested spheres from a coin to the Andromeda galaxy. Scroll or pinch to zoom continuously through scales, with a live HUD showing the current size in appropriate units.