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Opava: city squares as a «cheat sheet» on astronomy
Opava and surrounding
Monuments, Sculptures,  Squares, Parks, Gardens
Monuments, Sculptures, 
Squares, Parks, Gardens

If there is no planetarium in the city, space goes out... right into the streets! This happened in Opava, a city in the Moravian-Silesian region.

Opava boasts a visual aid to the astronomy - a model of the solar system on a scale of 1: 626,576,000. Elements of this model as cosmic bodies in the sky are"scattered" throughout the city and its surroundings. You can search for objects in the planetary guide while walking around the city, so the streets are studied, and astronomy becomes more fun!

The center of the "Opava planetary system" is, of course, the Sun. It is a large ball with a diameter of 230 cm, placed in the fountain on the Upper Square. Mercury is just a few meters from the Sun, near the city's Silesian theater.

Venus is represented by a two-centimeter ball near the chapel of St. Elizabeth on the Fishmarket Square near Maticni Street.

The Earth model is only 2 cm in diameter. At a distance of 62 cm from it, there is a baby Moon with a diameter of 0.6 cm. Models of the Earth and moon are, in turn, at a distance of about 240 m from the Sun. The Earth is nestled in the shade of chestnut trees in front of the arcades in Dvorak Park. Mars, a ball with a diameter of 1.1 cm, "landed" in front of the building of the rectorate of Silesian University.

Jupiter with a diameter of 24 cm can be found in the City Park in front of the sports hall. Saturn with a diameter of 20 cm is waiting for attention at the foot of the hill near the Church of St. Peter and Paul in the area Akhtari.

Model of Uranus with a diameter of 8.5 cm it is necessary to look at the memorial of the Czechoslovak army in the area of Milosevic.

Neptune with a diameter of 8 cm "hid" in the park between the Church and the House of culture in Steborzic.

The most remote object of the solar system, Pluto with a diameter of 3.6 mm, is located in front of the entrance to the arboretum in the New Courtyard. It is about 9.5 km from the center of Opava.

In addition to the planets, the astronomical path will also lead to two main-belt asteroids - Oppavia (named after the city) and Silesia (the historical region where Opava is located). These asteroids were discovered by the Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa, who was born in Opava. The observatory and planetarium in Ostrava bear his name.

Address: Horní náměstí 381/67, 746 01

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