The Solar System

Week 27-Earth Science

How big is the solar system?

Measure out an arm’s length of register tape

IN PENCIL, on one end draw the sun.

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On the other end draw Pluto.

Estimate where you think these objects would be…

1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
5. Asteroid Belt
6. Jupiter
7. Saturn
8. Uranus
9. Neptune

Now, flip it over. Redraw the Sun and Pluto

• Fold the paper in half (Sun to Pluto)
• That fold = Uranus.
• At the ½ mark on the paper

Keep going…

• Fold the paper in half again (Sun to Uranus)
• That fold = Saturn.
• (1/4th mark)

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• Fold the paper in half again (Pluto to Uranus)
• That fold = Neptune.
• (3/4th mark)

Please notice

that 3/4th’s of the space

in our solar system lies

beyond Saturn!

Keep going…

• Fold in half again (Sun to Saturn)
• Jupiter (⅛th mark)

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• Fold in half again (Sun to Jupiter)
• Asteroid Belt (1/16th mark)

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• Fold in half again (Sun to Asteroid Belt)
• Mars (1/32nd mark)

Keep going…

• Squeeze Mercury, Venus, and Earth in the space between Mars and the Sun

Glue in “Scale of the Solar System”

Answer the following questions and staple your finished model in your notebook.

1. What surprised you about your guesses versus the actual scale of the solar system?
2. We split our solar system into two groups: the inner and outer planets. Where, in your model, does that split begin?
3. What do you know about the makeup of inner planets versus outer planets that could also be used to distinguish them?
4. Which planets do you think could be easily seen in the night sky?

A different (and prettier) version

Link

How big are the planets?

Mr. Hill, Ms. Hill, Allan Morton

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June 26, 2012

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Woke up at 3 AM to take this picture of Uranus…

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I had a baby 5 days later…

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Kind of a crappy picture…

Uranus is FAR away!

…and not as big as you may think…

How big are the planets?

Your bag of playdough represents most of the mass in the solar system.

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You will take turns rolling your playdough out into a cylinder and slicing it into 10 EQUAL parts.

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*Hints* Mark before you commit to your slices. Start with halfway mark then move out.

First cylinder (10ths)

• Cut the clay into 10 equal parts
• Roll 6 of 10 together into a ball (Jupiter)
• Roll 3 of 10 together (Saturn)

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• 1 left over

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2nd cylinder (100ths)

• Cut the clay into 10 equal parts
• 4 pieces (add to Saturn)
• 2 pieces (Uranus)
• 2 pieces (Neptune)

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• 2 left over

3rd Cylinder (1,000ths)

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• Cut the clay into 10 equal parts
• 2 pieces (add to Saturn)
• 4 pieces (add to Uranus)
• 3 pieces (add to Neptune)

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• 1 left over

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Please notice!

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We’re moving on to

10,000ths before we add in

terrestrial planets!!

4th Cylinder (10,000ths)

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• Cut the clay into 10 equal parts
• 2 pieces (Venus)
• 2 pieces (Earth)
• 1 piece (add to Saturn)
• 2 pieces (add to Uranus)
• 1 piece (add to Neptune)

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• 2 left over

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5th Cylinder (100,000ths)

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• Cut the clay into 10 equal parts
• 1 piece (Mars)
• 1 piece (add to Earth)
• 3 pieces (add to Saturn)
• 3 pieces (add to Uranus)

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• 2 left over

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Moving into millionths and still missing a planet…!!!

6th Cylinder (1,000,000ths)

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• Cut the clay into 10 equal parts
• 3 pieces (Mercury)
• 2 pieces (add to Earth)
• 3 pieces (add to Mars)

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• 2 left over

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7th Cylinder (10,000,000ths) - LAST ONE!!

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• Cut the clay into 10 equal parts
• 1 piece (add to Mercury)
• 3 pieces (add to Mars)
• 6 pieces (add to Saturn)

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• NONE left over!

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Planet Composition

Draw a model of your “planet’s” orbit around the sun

1. Does it have seasons? Explain
2. How long is a day? Explain.
3. How long is a year? Explain.
4. How tilted is it? How does that affect 1, 2, and 3?