The New Horizons Challenge
A Relay Across the Solar System
Madison, WI
The New Horizons space probe, launched in 2006, is known for its flyby of Pluto in 2015 recording the images and analysis that are used today. Like New Horizons, we traverse our solar system, from our great giver of life to the most famous dwarf planet, on foot. The Planet Trek Dane County (PTDC) gives us a ~200 million to 1 scale of the solar system right here in (greater) Madison. Let's tackle this trek one planet at a time!
Goals
- Run from the Sun (Monona Terrace) to Pluto (Mount Horeb) via relay.
- Enjoy our accomplishment and each other's company at Brix Cider.
Specifications
Many of you may be able to run the whole thing (23-24 miles), but there is no shot that I can/want to do that. The plan is to relay legs where the handoff will be at a planet sign. For those of you that are familiar with the solar system, you are probably thinking that the distance between planets is not consistent. That is correct, we will need some ringers to take on the latter legs from Uranus to Neptune and Neptune to Pluto.
I made this map on Google Maps to give rough estimates of where everything is.
Planets and Locations
- Sun — Monona Terrace
- Mercury — Right outside Monona Terrace
- Venus — Still right outside Monona Terrace
- Earth — Brittingham Boathouse
- Mars — Near West Washington
- Jupiter — Between Camp Randall and Glenway
- Saturn — Between Midvale and the Beltline
- Uranus — Military Ridge Trail, before Verona
- Neptune — Past Epic's farm campus
- Pluto — Mount Horeb
Relay Legs
Sun to Mars
1 Mile
Mars to Saturn
4 Miles
Saturn to Uranus
4 Miles
Uranus to Neptune
~6 Miles
Neptune to Pluto
~10 Miles
The Challenges
2026
TBD
In planning
Stay tuned