Dome Planetarium - Community Solar System - Peoria Riverfront Museum
Source: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/dome-planetarium/community-solar-system
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:39
Dome Planetarium - Community Solar System - Peoria Riverfront Museum
HOURS and ADMISSION
Event Calendar and Tickets
Driving Directions
Map
Membership Swap Weekend | April 24-26
All-Illinois Student Access Pass
Achievement Passport
Access for All Days- Every Second Sunday!
Access for All Days | April 2026
Digital Guide to the Peoria Riverfront Museum
Contact Us
Christmas In The Village
ESI Student + Family Museum Fun Pass
Museum Store
Museum Store Sunday
American Decoy | The Book
Join | Renew Membership
Newsletter Sign-up
Museum Gift Cards
Tours & Field Trips
Field Trips
Community Solar System
Illinois New Deal Art Tour
Group Tours
Virtual Museum
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
Virtual Collections
Viewing Room | Virtual Tours
Exquisite Creatures
Exquisite Creatures: Patterns Alive
America 250: Celebrating America's 250th Birthday
The Promise of Liberty
Ken Burns: Guest Curator for America 250
America Forward: Jeanne Gang
Tour of The Promise of Liberty with Seth Kaller
Joyful Resistance
Athletes: A Peoria Plays America Exhibition
Deep Rivers / Long Roads | The Journey of America
A Peoria Plays America Exhibition: Fogelberg
TOYTOPIA
Louis XV Plate
Amethyst Gallery of Minerals
DURYEA: America's First Car Company
The Center for American Decoys
American Decoy | The Book
Bronzeville to Harlem | An American Story
Peoria Holocaust Memorial
Yom HaShoah | Holocaust Remembrance Day
Hallway Exhibitions
Forbes Biological Station: Celebrating 130 Years
Museum Green Tours
Donate an artifact or artwork
PERMANENT COLLECTION
Duryea Motor Trap
Sculpture Garden
Virtual Exhibitions
EXHIBITS
About the GST
Showtimes | Tickets
American Animation: Art on Screen
Art of Film
Fine Art Films
Kids Pix on the Giant Screen
Daily Documentaries
Community Pix
Film Society
Meet the World's Most Advanced Planetarium System!
PLANETARIUM SHOWTIMES
Laser Light Nights
Pub Night Under the Stars
Wine and Cheese Under the Stars
Yoga Under the Stars
Planet Passport Series
Interplanetary 5K Race
Community Solar System
Unnamed Comet Locations
Outreach
Rucker Family Science Teacher Program
Planetarium Newsletter
Infinite Wonder Podcast
Museum Conversations | Henry Diltz: Legendary Rock Photographer
-SOLD OUT
Museum Conversations: Christopher Marley
American Animation: Art on Screen
SENIOR DAY
Senior Morning
FREE DAYS
Bradley FUSE Interactive Experience 2026
Engineering Day 2026
Virtual Programming
Objectively Speaking | The Young Collectors
Hands-on at Home | Fun Art + Science Projects
Virtual Science Demos
All Events - Listing
Field Trips | Outreach Programs
Every Student Initiative
ESI Student + Family Museum Fun Pass
Recurring Programs
Chemistry Demonstrations with Bradley University's Chemistry Club
Science Treasure Hunt
I Hear America Singing- Both shows SOLD OUT
Newsletter Sign-up
Join | Renew Membership
Member Appreciation Day
Membership FAQ
Digital Membership Card
Reciprocal Programs
Member Saturdays
Member Saturday | FUSE
Every Student Initiative
Visionary Society
Matching Gifts
Corporate Members
Peoria Falcon Circle
Every Student Initiative
State of the Museum 2025
Fundraising Events
4th of July Backyard BBQ- Tickets go on sale May, 2026
Membership Swap Weekend
Nita Sunderland Tribute
Volunteer Opportunities
Board of Directors
Foundation Board of Directors
Museum Staff
President & CEO John Morris
Every Student Initiative
Our Story
Partners
Blue Star Museum
Museums for All
Leed Gold Certification
Accessibility in the Museum
Peoples Choice Awards
Museum News
Donation Requests
Contact Us
Volunteer Opportunities
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Home
>
Dome Planetarium
>
Community Solar System
Dome Planetarium
Meet the World's Most Advanced Planetarium System!
PLANETARIUM SHOWTIMES
Laser Light Nights
Pub Night Under the Stars
Wine and Cheese Under the Stars
Yoga Under the Stars
Planet Passport Series
Interplanetary 5K Race
Community Solar System
Unnamed Comet Locations
Outreach
Rucker Family Science Teacher Program
Planetarium Newsletter
Infinite Wonder Podcast
Community Solar System
Peoria Riverfront Museum Central Illinois Community Solar System
Peoria Riverfront Museum's Community Solar System model is the world's most complete large-scale model of the Solar System. The scale factor is 99,000,000:1, covering 6,000 square miles of Central Illinois. In addition to the Sun and 8 planets, the model includes 5 dwarf planets and numerous unnamed comets spread across the globe. Click
here
to see a list of cities home to unnamed comets.
The Sun is the center of the model, and is depicted on Riverfront Museum's Sun Plaza (and the wall of Dome Planetarium lobby). The Earth (5 inches in diameter) is nearly one mile from the Museum on the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail at the Peoria riverfront. The 3 stars of the Alpha Centauri system (the closest stars to the Sun) are represented by Little West Crater at the Apollo 11 landing site - they could be lined up across the 100’ crater, accurate for both their size and distance to the scale of the model.
SEE THE MODEL ON GOOGLE MAPS
The Sun (46 feet in diameter) is located on Riverfront Museum's Sun Plaza. The real
Sun
is actually 865,000 miles in diameter.
Mercury (1.93 inches in diameter) is located along the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail near the Riverplex Playground, about 0.36 miles from the Museum. The planet
Mercury
is actually 3,032 miles in diameter, and 36,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Venus (4.8 inches in diameter) is located along the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail near the the volleyball courts, about 0.68 miles from the Museum. The planet
Venus
is actually 7,521 miles in diameter, and 67,200,000 miles from the Sun.
Earth (5 inches in diameter) is located along the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail in Constitution Park, about 0.94 miles from the Museum. The planet
Earth
is actually 7,926 miles in diameter, and 93,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Mars (2.7 inches in diameter) is located along the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail in Detweiller Marina Park Playground, about 1.4 miles from the Museum. The planet
Mars
is actually 4,221 miles in diameter, and 141,600,000 miles from the Sun.
Ceres (0.4 inches in diameter) is located at the Bonnie W. Noble Center for Park District Administration, at Lakeview Park, about 2.6 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Ceres
is actually 600 miles in diameter, and about 260,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Jupiter (55 inches in diameter) is located in the Peoria International Airport lobby, about 4.9 miles from the Museum. The planet
Jupiter
is actually 88,846 miles in diameter, and 483,800,000 miles from the Sun.
Saturn (46 inches in diameter) is located in Pekin Public Library (301 S. 4th St. Pekin 61554), about 8.9 miles from the Museum. The planet
Saturn
is actually 74,897 miles in diameter, and 890,800,000 miles from the Sun.
Uranus (18 inches in diameter) is located in Troutman Park in Princeville, about 16 miles from the Museum. The planet
Uranus
is actually 31,763 miles in diameter, and 1,784,800,000 miles from the Sun.
Neptune (18 inches in diameter) is located at the Wyoming Train Depot along the Rock Island Trail State Park, about 28 miles from the Museum. The planet
Neptune
is actually 30,775 miles in diameter, and 2,793,100,000 miles from the Sun.
Pluto (0.9 inches in diameter) is located at Good’s Furniture (Rt 78 & 34, Kewanee), about 40 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Pluto
is actually 1,485 miles in diameter, and 3,647,200,000 miles from the Sun.
Haumea (0.7 x 0.4 inches in diameter) is located at the Children’s Discovery Museum (101 E. Beaufort, Normal, IL 61761), about 41 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Haumea
is actually 1,218 x 619 miles in diameter (ellipsoidal), and 4,025,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Makemake (0.6 inches in diameter) is located at the Discovery Depot (128 S Chambers St., Galesburg, IL 61401), about 43 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Makemake's
size is undetermined, but is probably 808-1,181 miles in diameter, and 4,257,400,000 miles from the Sun.
Eris (0.9 inches in diameter) is located at Western Illinois University (near room 135 of Knoblauch Hall, 1 University Circle, Macomb), about 62 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Eris
is actually 1,491miles in diameter, and 6,293,100,000 miles from the Sun.
The
Alpha Centauri Star System
(closest star to the Sun), could be located at the Little West Crater, the Apollo 11 landing site on the Moon, about 238,900 miles from the Museum. The three stars could line up across the 100 foot crater. Alpha Centauri A would be 59 feet in diameter, Alpha Centauri B would be 39 feet in diameter, and Alpha Centauri C would be 6 feet in diameter. The actual stars in Alpha Centauri are 1,112,000, 741,000, and 124,000 miles in diameter, and about 4.3 light years from the Sun.
Have fun exploring the Peoria Solar System!
HOURS and ADMISSION
Event Calendar and Tickets
Driving Directions
Map
Membership Swap Weekend | April 24-26
All-Illinois Student Access Pass
Achievement Passport
Access for All Days- Every Second Sunday!
Access for All Days | April 2026
Digital Guide to the Peoria Riverfront Museum
Contact Us
Christmas In The Village
ESI Student + Family Museum Fun Pass
Museum Store
Museum Store Sunday
American Decoy | The Book
Join | Renew Membership
Newsletter Sign-up
Museum Gift Cards
Tours & Field Trips
Field Trips
Community Solar System
Illinois New Deal Art Tour
Group Tours
Virtual Museum
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
Virtual Collections
Viewing Room | Virtual Tours
Exquisite Creatures
Exquisite Creatures: Patterns Alive
America 250: Celebrating America's 250th Birthday
The Promise of Liberty
Ken Burns: Guest Curator for America 250
America Forward: Jeanne Gang
Tour of The Promise of Liberty with Seth Kaller
Joyful Resistance
Athletes: A Peoria Plays America Exhibition
Deep Rivers / Long Roads | The Journey of America
A Peoria Plays America Exhibition: Fogelberg
TOYTOPIA
Louis XV Plate
Amethyst Gallery of Minerals
DURYEA: America's First Car Company
The Center for American Decoys
American Decoy | The Book
Bronzeville to Harlem | An American Story
Peoria Holocaust Memorial
Yom HaShoah | Holocaust Remembrance Day
Hallway Exhibitions
Forbes Biological Station: Celebrating 130 Years
Museum Green Tours
Donate an artifact or artwork
PERMANENT COLLECTION
Duryea Motor Trap
Sculpture Garden
Virtual Exhibitions
EXHIBITS
About the GST
Showtimes | Tickets
American Animation: Art on Screen
Art of Film
Fine Art Films
Kids Pix on the Giant Screen
Daily Documentaries
Community Pix
Film Society
Meet the World's Most Advanced Planetarium System!
PLANETARIUM SHOWTIMES
Laser Light Nights
Pub Night Under the Stars
Wine and Cheese Under the Stars
Yoga Under the Stars
Planet Passport Series
Interplanetary 5K Race
Community Solar System
Unnamed Comet Locations
Outreach
Rucker Family Science Teacher Program
Planetarium Newsletter
Infinite Wonder Podcast
Museum Conversations | Henry Diltz: Legendary Rock Photographer
-SOLD OUT
Museum Conversations: Christopher Marley
American Animation: Art on Screen
SENIOR DAY
Senior Morning
FREE DAYS
Bradley FUSE Interactive Experience 2026
Engineering Day 2026
Virtual Programming
Objectively Speaking | The Young Collectors
Hands-on at Home | Fun Art + Science Projects
Virtual Science Demos
All Events - Listing
Field Trips | Outreach Programs
Every Student Initiative
ESI Student + Family Museum Fun Pass
Recurring Programs
Chemistry Demonstrations with Bradley University's Chemistry Club
Science Treasure Hunt
I Hear America Singing- Both shows SOLD OUT
Newsletter Sign-up
Join | Renew Membership
Member Appreciation Day
Membership FAQ
Digital Membership Card
Reciprocal Programs
Member Saturdays
Member Saturday | FUSE
Every Student Initiative
Visionary Society
Matching Gifts
Corporate Members
Peoria Falcon Circle
Every Student Initiative
State of the Museum 2025
Fundraising Events
4th of July Backyard BBQ- Tickets go on sale May, 2026
Membership Swap Weekend
Nita Sunderland Tribute
Volunteer Opportunities
Board of Directors
Foundation Board of Directors
Museum Staff
President & CEO John Morris
Every Student Initiative
Our Story
Partners
Blue Star Museum
Museums for All
Leed Gold Certification
Accessibility in the Museum
Peoples Choice Awards
Museum News
Donation Requests
Contact Us
Volunteer Opportunities
Employment
Home
>
Dome Planetarium
>
Community Solar System
Dome Planetarium
Meet the World's Most Advanced Planetarium System!
PLANETARIUM SHOWTIMES
Laser Light Nights
Pub Night Under the Stars
Wine and Cheese Under the Stars
Yoga Under the Stars
Planet Passport Series
Interplanetary 5K Race
Community Solar System
Unnamed Comet Locations
Outreach
Rucker Family Science Teacher Program
Planetarium Newsletter
Infinite Wonder Podcast
Community Solar System
Peoria Riverfront Museum Central Illinois Community Solar System
Peoria Riverfront Museum's Community Solar System model is the world's most complete large-scale model of the Solar System. The scale factor is 99,000,000:1, covering 6,000 square miles of Central Illinois. In addition to the Sun and 8 planets, the model includes 5 dwarf planets and numerous unnamed comets spread across the globe. Click
here
to see a list of cities home to unnamed comets.
The Sun is the center of the model, and is depicted on Riverfront Museum's Sun Plaza (and the wall of Dome Planetarium lobby). The Earth (5 inches in diameter) is nearly one mile from the Museum on the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail at the Peoria riverfront. The 3 stars of the Alpha Centauri system (the closest stars to the Sun) are represented by Little West Crater at the Apollo 11 landing site - they could be lined up across the 100’ crater, accurate for both their size and distance to the scale of the model.
SEE THE MODEL ON GOOGLE MAPS
The Sun (46 feet in diameter) is located on Riverfront Museum's Sun Plaza. The real
Sun
is actually 865,000 miles in diameter.
Mercury (1.93 inches in diameter) is located along the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail near the Riverplex Playground, about 0.36 miles from the Museum. The planet
Mercury
is actually 3,032 miles in diameter, and 36,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Venus (4.8 inches in diameter) is located along the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail near the the volleyball courts, about 0.68 miles from the Museum. The planet
Venus
is actually 7,521 miles in diameter, and 67,200,000 miles from the Sun.
Earth (5 inches in diameter) is located along the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail in Constitution Park, about 0.94 miles from the Museum. The planet
Earth
is actually 7,926 miles in diameter, and 93,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Mars (2.7 inches in diameter) is located along the Rock Island/Pimiteoui Trail in Detweiller Marina Park Playground, about 1.4 miles from the Museum. The planet
Mars
is actually 4,221 miles in diameter, and 141,600,000 miles from the Sun.
Ceres (0.4 inches in diameter) is located at the Bonnie W. Noble Center for Park District Administration, at Lakeview Park, about 2.6 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Ceres
is actually 600 miles in diameter, and about 260,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Jupiter (55 inches in diameter) is located in the Peoria International Airport lobby, about 4.9 miles from the Museum. The planet
Jupiter
is actually 88,846 miles in diameter, and 483,800,000 miles from the Sun.
Saturn (46 inches in diameter) is located in Pekin Public Library (301 S. 4th St. Pekin 61554), about 8.9 miles from the Museum. The planet
Saturn
is actually 74,897 miles in diameter, and 890,800,000 miles from the Sun.
Uranus (18 inches in diameter) is located in Troutman Park in Princeville, about 16 miles from the Museum. The planet
Uranus
is actually 31,763 miles in diameter, and 1,784,800,000 miles from the Sun.
Neptune (18 inches in diameter) is located at the Wyoming Train Depot along the Rock Island Trail State Park, about 28 miles from the Museum. The planet
Neptune
is actually 30,775 miles in diameter, and 2,793,100,000 miles from the Sun.
Pluto (0.9 inches in diameter) is located at Good’s Furniture (Rt 78 & 34, Kewanee), about 40 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Pluto
is actually 1,485 miles in diameter, and 3,647,200,000 miles from the Sun.
Haumea (0.7 x 0.4 inches in diameter) is located at the Children’s Discovery Museum (101 E. Beaufort, Normal, IL 61761), about 41 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Haumea
is actually 1,218 x 619 miles in diameter (ellipsoidal), and 4,025,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Makemake (0.6 inches in diameter) is located at the Discovery Depot (128 S Chambers St., Galesburg, IL 61401), about 43 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Makemake's
size is undetermined, but is probably 808-1,181 miles in diameter, and 4,257,400,000 miles from the Sun.
Eris (0.9 inches in diameter) is located at Western Illinois University (near room 135 of Knoblauch Hall, 1 University Circle, Macomb), about 62 miles from the Museum. The
dwarf planet Eris
is actually 1,491miles in diameter, and 6,293,100,000 miles from the Sun.
The
Alpha Centauri Star System
(closest star to the Sun), could be located at the Little West Crater, the Apollo 11 landing site on the Moon, about 238,900 miles from the Museum. The three stars could line up across the 100 foot crater. Alpha Centauri A would be 59 feet in diameter, Alpha Centauri B would be 39 feet in diameter, and Alpha Centauri C would be 6 feet in diameter. The actual stars in Alpha Centauri are 1,112,000, 741,000, and 124,000 miles in diameter, and about 4.3 light years from the Sun.
Have fun exploring the Peoria Solar System!