Imagine holding a cosmic pebble no bigger than a cherry. That is Vesta. We are now standing before a representation of the asteroid Vesta. It is part of the world’s largest model of our solar system. This model is called the Sweden Solar System.
The real asteroid Vesta orbits our sun far beyond Mars. But here in Stockholm, at Åva gymnasium in Täby, we find its likeness. The sculptor Peter Varhelyi created this artwork of Vesta. It was inaugurated on September 6, 2017. Åke Dahlöf, a teacher at Åva high school initiated the project. He lit candles in the sculpture’s base. This was fitting. Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth.
This model of 4 Vesta stands seventeen kilometers from Avicii Arena. The Avicii Arena represents the sun in the Sweden Solar System. Our model is oval, about three centimeters across. Look closely. Can you make out the cratered landscape on its surface?
The base of the Vesta sculpture is also quite interesting. Peter Varhelyi included antique symbols for Vesta. He also sketched the Vesta family of asteroids on the base. These asteroids originated from a major impact on Vesta itself. The impact left a huge crater on Vesta’s south pole.
The Sweden Solar System is a fascinating concept. It stretches across Sweden. It represents the solar system at a scale of 1:20,000,000. One meter in the model equals twenty thousand kilometers in space.
The inner planets are located in Stockholm. The outer planets are further north along the Baltic Sea. The asteroid Vesta is but one small piece of this grand model.
The Swedish Solar System began with Nils Brenning and Gösta Gahm. Both were professors in Stockholm. They wanted to visualize the vastness of space in a tangible way.
Think about the immense distances in our solar system. The Sweden Solar System brings these distances down to earth. It allows us to grasp the scale of space in a more concrete way.
The sculpture of 4 Vesta isn’t just a pretty object. It’s a learning tool. It helps us visualize the asteroid Vesta. It also connects us to the larger solar system. It reminds us of our place in the cosmos. So, as you stand before this small representation of a distant asteroid, consider the vastness of space. Consider the ingenuity of the Sweden Solar System.