Building a Scale Model of the Solar System (and Beyond) Lesson 11 (Thank you to Mr. Burgard for sharing.)

Be sure you have all the materials and that they are in good shape. Bouncy balls Be sure you have all the materials and that they are in good shape. Buttons Fishing Bobbers Lentils or Split Peas Blue Marbles Wood Beads Ping Pong Balls Paper Sun Candy Let Mr. Abe know right away if you are missing anything or if anything is not in good shape. White Beads

Procedure Determine which of the objects should represent each planet – keeping in mind size comparison for each planet. Record your choices on your data table. = ?

Procedure Decide how far apart the objects would be if they really represented the scaled objects in the solar system. Measure distances (cm) from the Sun to each planet. Record your data in the data table. Explain your reasoning. Be prepared to present and defend your decisions to the class.

Discuss your thinking… What influenced your decisions about planet sizes and order? What influenced your decisions about distance?

Best Answers (According to Your Book) Mercury – Lentil/Split Pea Venus – Blue Marble Earth - Blue Marble Mars – Candy Jupiter – Bouncy/Racquet Ball Saturn – Red and White Bobber Uranus - White Bead Neptune - White Bead DO NOT CHANGE YOUR ANSWERS!

DISTANCE NOT TO SCALE!!!!!

How’d you do size-wise? If you had the first 4 as smaller objects (Mercury as the smallest) and the second 4 as larger objects (Jupiter as the largest) you were on track. This is typical because we see planets to scale on posters, in books and in diagrams. Here are a few to scale models that compare the planets (and some stars) side by side.

Terrestrial (Inner) Planets

And the Jovian (Outer) Planets

The Sun is huge!

The Sun is tiny!

The Sun is SUPER tiny!!!

How’d you do distance-wise? Thoughts or questions from the Solar System walk? Why were you so far off with your model? 1 AU = the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. (A little less than 1,500,000 km)

Scale of the Average Distance of the Planets to the Sun: to the Sun (AU) to the Sun (cm) Mercury 0.39 Venus 0.72 Earth 1.00 Mars 1.52 Jupiter 5.20 Saturn 9.54 Uranus 19.18 Neptune 30.06 Pluto 39.53

If the Earth were the size of a peppercorn . . . Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto

The Solar system also includes… The Kuiper Belt

Kuiper belt Kuiper belt Kuiper belt Jupiter Saturn Uranus Kuiper belt Kuiper belt Neptune Pluto

And is surrounded by….. the Oort Cloud

If the Earth were the size of a peppercorn . . . Oort Cloud (1280 miles)

Closest Star

Distance (Light-years) 1 light year is about 5.5 trillion miles. Destination Distance (Light-years) Time At light Speed Proxima Centauri 4.2 light years 4.2 years Andromeda Galaxy 2,200,000 2,200,000 years 1 light year is about 5.5 trillion miles.

If the Earth were the size of a peppercorn . . . Oort Cloud (1280 miles) If the Earth were the size of a peppercorn . . . Closest Star (3700 miles)

Our Solar System is a subsystem of… The Milky Way Galaxy

Clever.

The Milky Way

Distance (Light-years) 1 light year is about 5.5 trillion miles. Destination Distance (Light-years) Time At light Speed Proxima Centauri 4.2 light years 4.2 years Center of Milky Way 38,000 light years 38,000 years Andromeda Galaxy 2,200,000 2,200,000 years 1 light year is about 5.5 trillion miles.

Closest Galaxy

Distance (Light-years) 1 light year is about 5.5 trillion miles. Destination Distance (Light-years) Time At light Speed Proxima Centauri 4.2 4.2 years Center of Milky Way 38,000 38,000 years Andromeda Galaxy 2,200,000 light years 2,200,000 years 1 light year is about 5.5 trillion miles.

How to find the Andromeda Galaxy

A Small Slice of our Universe The Hubble Deep Field View (About 1/24 millionth of the sky which is equivalent in angular size to a 65 mm tennis ball at a distance of 100 meters.)

Feel Small?

(We are.)

Planet Sizes for the demo today Our scale: 1 inch = 60,000 Km (100,000 mi) Mercury – .03 inches (1 mm) Venus – .08 inches (2 mm) Earth - .08 inches (2 mm) Mars – .04 inches (1 mm) Jupiter – .9 inches (2 cm) Saturn – .7 inches (1.7 cm) Uranus - .3 inches (.7 cm) Neptune - .3 inches (.7 cm)

Planet Distances for the demo today Our scale: 1 inch = 60,000 Km (100,000 mi) Mercury – 360 in (30 ft) Venus – 684 in (57 ft) Earth - 930 in (77 ft) Mars – 1440 in (120 ft) Jupiter – 4, 860 in (405 ft.) Saturn – 8, 892 inches (741 ft) Uranus – 17, 856 inches (1488 ft) ~ ¼ mile Neptune - 27, 972 inches (2331 ft) ~ ½ mile

Some other galaxies: