The Melbourne Solar System
St Kilda Marina, on Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay waterfront, is no longer content with the familiar pleasures of earth and water.
The suburb is now home to more celestial attractions. In fact, the whole Universe is here. At 1:1billion-to-one scale, our entire solar system has been recreated along the waterfront.
It’s almost four miles between the Sun (in the Marina) and distant Pluto (Sandridge Beach). You can discover all nine planets in around 90 minutes, marveling at the scale. In the first 20 minutes you’ll pass Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and Jupiter, all cast in stainless steel or bronze, each perfectly proportioned in size and distance from its neighbour, and perched on a stone plinth. Then the planets become fewer and further between, finishing with mysterious Pluto at just nine inches across.
The Melbourne Solar System aims to inspire awe at the size and scale of the universe, as well as getting us all to spare a thought for our neighbouring planets. It is now Australia’s largest-scale educational resource.
The installation is a combination of art and science, conceived by science grad-turned-artist Chris Lansel and visual artist Cameron Robbins. It cost about A$111,000 (£50,000), of which A$30,000 (£13,000) was spent on the Sun, a 55-stone giant cast from silicon bronze.
The cost was supported by sponsors City of Port Phillip and Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler.
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