Scale of Solar System Activity

Scale of Solar System Activity

But first, a little review from yesterday...

Materials needed for zoomies

• Three or four pieces of paper

• Tape

• A pencil

• Markers :)

Multiple Choice

Our Solar System_________

• Has 8 planets that are very close together

• Has 8 planets, but is mostly empty space

• Has 9 planets that are very close together

• Has 9 planets, but is mostly empty space

Multiple Choice

What is the center of our solar system?

• The sun

• Earth

• Jupiter

• Saturn

Multiple Choice

Why do scientists use scale to study the Solar System?

• The solar system is too large to study without using scale models

• The solar system is too small to study without using scale models

• Scientists don't need to use scale because we have satellites

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

What is between Mars and Jupiter, but is usually too small to put into a model?

• UFOs

• Space Dust

• Nothing

• The Asteroid Belt

Multiple Choice

Which of the following orders the planets correctly from the Sun?

• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus

• Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus, Mercury

• Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus

First steps

• Start with a long strip of paper about the size of your arm length. If you don't have one that big, tape some pieces of paper together.

• On their paper, have students draw and label the Sun on one end and Pluto on the other, using colored pencils or markers.

Second Step

• USING A PENCIL, put in all the planets at the distance you THINK they are based on the video we watched together yesterday.

• If you do not have a pencil, use a writing implement that does NOT bleed onto the other side.

• MERCURY VENUS EARTH MARS ASTEROID BELT JUPITER SATURN URANUS NEPTUNE

Now we're going to find the actual distances

• First, have them fold the strip in half. Using a bold color, label the midpoint (1/2 mark) Uranus.

• 
  

Saturn

• Now, take the side where you have the Sun labeled and fold it to the Uranus mark. The new crease (at the 1/4 mark) is where Saturn is located.

Neptune

• Repeat the last step but this time with the Pluto side. This crease (at the 3/4 mark) is Neptune.

Jupiter

• Starting with the Sun again, fold the strip of paper to the Saturn mark. This new crease is at the 1/8 mark and is where we would find Jupiter.

Asteroid Belt

• Repeat again, taking the Sun to the new Jupiter mark. This represents 1/16 and is where the asteroid belt is found.

Mars

• Repeating once more, at the 1/32 mark, we find Mars.

WHOA WHAT

• That means that all of the remaining inner planets (Earth, Venus and Mercury) are between Mars and the Sun. So when you hear them called the “inner planets,” there is a good reason why!

Let's Discuss!

• Ask students what surprised them about their guesses versus the actual scale of the solar system?

• We split our solar system into two groups: the inner and outer planets. Discuss how these are broken down and where, in students' models, that split begins

• Aside from inner and outer planets, we have another name for these groups, based on their physical properties. Ask students what they know about the makeup of inner planets versus outer planets that could be used to distinguish them.

• Some planets are closer to Earth, but small, while others are larger but farther away. Which do students think they could easily see in the night sky?