A Solar System Hidden in Plain Sight: Bullis Campus Features a Half-Mile Scale Model of Space
hero-banner
A Solar System Hidden in Plain Sight: Bullis Campus Features a Half-Mile Scale Model of Space
The Earth marker in between Founders and Trone.
Tucked into walkways, fields, and familiar corners of campus is something most students and visitors pass without realizing: a fully scaled model of the solar system, stretched across Bullis School at an astonishing 1:9,000,000,000 scale.
What looks like ordinary campus terrain is actually a carefully mapped astronomical journey—from the Sun to Pluto—spanning more than half a mile.
The model places Saturn behind the softball field scoreboard along Falls Road, while Pluto sits at the far edge of the cross country course near Democracy Boulevard and Stapleford Hall Drive. At this scale, even the outermost reaches of the solar system remain physically connected across campus pathways.
Yes—Pluto is included.
For the purposes of this project, Pluto remains a planet in the model, reflecting both historical context and its significance to the design.
A Collaboration Between Astronomy and Engineering
The solar system model was originally created during the 2020–2021 school year as a joint project between the Bullis Innovation and Technology Lab (BITlab) and Mr. Paul Koziel’s Astronomy class. Since then, it has continued to evolve as the BITlab’s fabrication tools and capabilities have advanced.
This year, the entire installation received a full update and visual refresh from Mr. Matt Zigler, BITlab Coordinator, helping ensure the markers remain accurate, durable, and discoverable for years to come.
A Campus-Spanning Design
Each celestial body—from the Sun to all nine planets—is represented by a laser-engraved aluminum marker mounted on stone.
The Sun is located at the center of the campus fountain. From there, the inner planets are positioned between the fountain and the library, inviting students to encounter the solar system in the most familiar parts of their daily routes.
A Bullis Solar System Google Map and student-created website from the Astronomy class allow visitors to locate each marker and explore the system more intentionally.
Scale That Reframes Perspective
The Sun marker in the center of the quad fountain.
At full scale, the model is deceptively small in appearance—but its proportions reveal striking contrasts:
- The Sun is represented at about six inches in diameter.
- Earth measures just 1.4 millimeters across.
- Pluto is only about 0.25 millimeters—barely visible as a point on its marker.
Despite this extreme reduction, the distances between planets remain vast in human terms. The span from Saturn to Pluto stretches over half a mile across campus, emphasizing just how much empty space exists in our solar system.
A Time Stamp in the Stars
The planets are not arranged in a straight line. Instead, their positions reflect the alignment of December 1, 1930—a date chosen for both scientific and historical meaning. It marks the year Bullis School was founded, as well as the year Pluto was discovered.
The result is a design that connects astronomy, history, and place in a single, unified structure.
An Invitation to Look Closer
Whether walking from North Hall to Trone, or making the long trek along the cross country course, the model quietly runs beneath everyday campus life. It transforms ordinary movement into something larger: a walk through the solar system itself.
Special thanks go to Dr. Joe Weinstein-Sears for supporting future Middle School engagement with the project, and to Mr. Paul Koziel for his long-standing contributions to astronomy-based learning at the school.
The next time you cross campus, the message is simple: look down, look around—and remember how vast everything is, even in a place you think you already know.