A Plan of the Solar System Exhibiting its Relative Magnitudes and Distances

Detailed chart outlining the physical makeup of the solar system.

This interesting composite image was designed by Elijah Burritt and published in New York by F.J. Huntington in 1856. The copperplate engraved print was originally issued as part of Atlas Designed to Illustrate Burritt’s Geography of the Heavens. It shows a number of diagrams that explain various celestial principles and phenomena. It shows three separate diagrams explaining various celestial principles and phenomena.

The first part, dominating the upper half of the sheet, is a stark comparison of the size of the seven known planetsThe first image, dominating the upper half of the sheet, is a visible comparison in the size of seven planets, with the waves at the top representing just a small fraction of the Sun’s circumference. Immediately to the right is an outline of the Moon’s elliptical orbit. The lower half of the sheet shows two plans – the right side is a visual comparison of distances between various celestial bodies while the left shows the arrangements and angles of various planetary orbits.

Explanatory remarks and legends provide helpful context in each of the three primary illustrations. One notable example is the incredible (through grossly inaccurate) statistic that the Sun’s circumference is “fourteen hundred thousand times as large as the earth.” It’s actually only about 109 times larger!