Planetenweg

The planet trail illustrates the dimensions of our solar system. The distance of 4.5 billion kilometers from the sun to the most distant planet, Neptune, is scaled to a walking distance of 3.5 kilometers. It is a further 800 meters to the minor planet Pluto at the entrance to the Wettzell Geodetic Observatory. The planetary trail begins in the spa gardens of Bad Kötzting with the sun, where the rocky planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars can also be found. The gas planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune follow along the Bk2 hiking trail (Baierweg) over the Ludwigsberg in the direction of Wettzell. Stelae made of local granite provide information about the individual planets and their characteristics and special features. The circular base plate with a diameter of 1.10 meters makes it possible to estimate the size ratio of the respective planet to the sun. In comparison, the earth is only a small sphere of one centimeter! In the area of the Wettzell Geodetic Observatory, there is a plaque commemorating Pluto: since 2006, it has only been classified as a "minor planet". In the beer garden of the Lindner brewery, a granite bar table represents the minor planet Wettzell. It was discovered in 1999 at the Heppenheim Observatory and named after the local Geodetic Observatory.