Kepler Planet Trail

The planet trail begins at the St. Peter and Paul church. The information panel (Sun panel) is located in Pfarrgasse on the sandstone wall of the church forecourt, very close to the Kepler Museum (Keplergasse 2). The planet trail takes us to the Old Monastery (Augustinian Monastery), then right to the Mercury panel next to the fountain on Kapuzinerberg. From there, the clock tower can be spotted between the house gables. The Venus panel is reached via the narrow connecting path from Kapuzinerberg to Paul-Reusch-Straße or to the green areas in front of the city wall. The panel stands near the crucifix. The Earth/Moon panel is located in Jahnstraße, just at the traffic light intersection near the festival grounds. From there, the church tower clock sun appears in the size we know. This can be well recognized when the moon is near the church tower during daylight. Sun and full moon have approximately the same diameter as seen from Earth. The Mars panel is opposite the train station building beside the telephone pole at the connecting staircase to Schießrainweg. The Jupiter panel can be found at the crossroads in the Merklingen marsh halfway between Weil der Stadt and Merklingen. To establish the line of sight to the church tower, the panel is set about 25 meters offset towards the main road (L1182). On the way to the Saturn panel, we cross the Würm river, continue straight ahead, turn left behind the wooden cross, pass Blannentalhof to Bühlstraße (K1014) at the sound barrier wall of the new development area. The path to the Uranus panel takes us back along Bühlstraße towards the Ortsmitte Merklingen. In the left curve, at the second turnoff, we turn right into Grenzhofstraße. Passing through blackthorn hedges towards Hausen, we arrive at the Grenzhof. The Uranus panel is still before the Grenzhof - about 200 m to the right at a water reservoir. At the turnoff, one can see the St. Peter and Paul church tower through a forest gap about halfway with free sight. The path to the Neptune panel passes by the Deutscher Kaiser guesthouse, where we cross the L1179 road (Hausen-Heimsheim) and reach Mühlhausen. Passing Marienkapelle, first turning into the parallel path and then right at the first branch into Ritternweg. Passing the outlying farm, the path leads directly uphill to the Neptune panel at the Mühlhausen water reservoir of the municipality of Tiefenbronn. From here there is a magnificent view into the Würm valley and to Weil der Stadt. In clear weather, not only can the church tower be seen, but also the Swabian Jura in the background. If you choose the higher eastern paths for the return to Weil der Stadt, the Würm valley shows itself in its full beauty.

Where could a planet trail fit better than in Weil der Stadt, the birthplace of Johannes Kepler? The astronomer and mathematician discovered the planetary motion laws named after him at the beginning of the 17th century and thus laid groundbreaking foundations for modern astronomy and space travel. This was reason enough for the Kepler Society Weil der Stadt, in cooperation with the city administration, to realize a combination of an astronomical educational trail and hiking route. The route is especially appealing because the topography of the Würm valley northwest of Weil der Stadt offers almost every planet location a clear view of the church tower of St. Peter and Paul.