Oldsmar in Orbit

Have you ever tried to imagine how large our solar system is?
The distance between the planets and our Sun is almost too great to calculate. You can experience a hike of a mile or two or even a hundred-mile car drive, but when it comes to the vastness in space, it’s almost incomprehensible. That all changes with a unique planet walk called Oldsmar in Orbit. Explore the wonders of the solar system and be in awe of how much space there is in space!

Spanning nearly a mile, this scale model of 4 billion miles-to-one showcases each planet with an informational sign featuring planetary facts, astrological symbols, and the planets in relationship to each other.

The Oldsmar in Orbit Planet Walk begins at the Sun sign inside R.E Olds Park (107 Shore Drive West). Each planetary sign is placed proportionally to its actual distance from the Sun. Since the planets never actually coincide in a linear order, by walking directly from the Sun sign, you can visit each planet in any order and experience their enormous spatial relationships.

You can stroll to the nearest inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, from the Sun. A little further will be the outer planets - Jupiter and Saturn. Almost half a mile away at Veterans Memorial Park (250 Shore Drive East), you can visit the planet Uranus. And at the Public Library (400 St. Petersburg Drive East), you will find Neptune. Finally, nearly a mile away at Bicentennial Park (423 Lafayette Boulevard), you'll discover Pluto.

What makes Oldsmar's Planet Walk unique is a feature called augmented reality. Watch each planet come to life in a 3-D format by downloading the FREE ROAR mobile app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott narrates this stellar app. The Pinellas County native spent 104 days in outer space as a crew member on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. You can hear Ms. Stott explain fascinating facts by clicking on the planet icon featured on each Planet Walk sign with your mobile phone.