Stars and the Solar System SISSI Workshop Darlene Smalley Planetarium Program Director

Emmy’s Moon and Stars Emmy looked out her window and saw the Moon and stars. She wondered how far away they were. Which answer best describes the location of the stars that Emmy sees out her window ? Probe adapted from: Uncovering Student Ideas in Science Vol. 2, NSTA Press, pg. 177 A. There are no stars between the Earth and Moon. B. One star is between the Earth and Moon. C. A few stars are between the Earth and Moon. D. There are many stars between the Earth and Moon. E. Many stars are between the Moon and the edge of our solar system. Credit:

Darkness at Night Probe A.Andy: “The clouds come in at night and cover the Sun.” B.Becca: “The Earth spins completely around once a day.” C.Chris: “The Sun moves around the Earth once a day.” D.Danika: “The Earth moves around the Sun once a day.” E.Ethan: “The Sun moves underneath the Earth at night.” Which friend has the best reason for why the sky is dark at night? Probe adapted from: Uncovering Student Ideas in Science Vol. 2, NSTA Press, pg. 171 Five friends were wondering why the sky is dark at night. This is what they said: Credit: billyhumphrey.com

Sort Celestial Object Cards By Size 1.Pluto 2.Moon 3.Earth 4.Saturn 5.Sun 6.Pleiades 7.Whirlpool Galaxy 8.Hubble Deep Field What is it? 1)Dwarf planet

Definitions of Planet and Dwarf Planet CharacteristicPlanetDwarf Planet Is in orbit around the SunXX Has sufficient mass to be nearly roundXX Is not a satelliteXX Has cleared the neighborhood around its orbitX Has NOT cleared the neighborhood around its orbit X

Five Current Dwarf Planets

Sort Celestial Object Cards By Size 1.Pluto 2.Moon 3.Earth 4.Saturn 5.Sun 6.Pleiades 7.Whirlpool Galaxy 8.Hubble Deep Field What is it? 1)Dwarf planet 2)Earth’s satellite 3)Rocky planet 4)Gas planet 5)Star 6)Hundreds of stars 7)Billions of stars 8)Thousands of galaxies

Sort Celestial Object Cards 1.Earth 2.Moon 3.Sun 4.Saturn 5.Pluto 6.Pleiades 7.Whirlpool Galaxy 8.Hubble Deep Field By Distance

Why can’t we photograph the Milky Way? We are in it and can’t go beyond it! The farthest we’ve sent a spacecraft is just beyond our solar system, about 12,250,000,000 miles away. Do you know what spacecraft that is? How long has it been in space? NASA art of Milky Way

Distance and Light Time Light travels about 186,000 mi. or 300,000 km. per sec. A "light-year" is the distance light travels in a year. Similarly, the distance light travels in a second is a "light second,” how far light moves in a minute is a “light minute,” etc. Light TimeActual Distance (average) Moon to Earth1.3 sec.240,000 mi. Sun to Earth8 min.93,000,000 mi. Sun to Saturn80 min.890,000,000 mi. Sun to Pluto5.5 hr.4,000,000,000 mi. Sun to Proxima Centauri4.2 yr.26,000,000,000,000 mi.

Modeling the Solar System 1. What is the solar system? 2. How are models and scale related? 3. Can we make a solar system model that uses the same scale for diameter and distance?

Planets in order from the Sun My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants

Models and Scales Model NameModel Scale Rocket1 inch = 36 feet Quadrangle Map1 inch = 2,000 feet Globe1 inch = 660 miles Solar System1 inch = 100,000 miles Measured distance x Scale = Real distance Length of Rocket: 10 inches x 36 feet/inch = 360 feet Distance on globe from South Carolina to southern California 4 inches x 660 miles/inch = 2,640 miles

Modeling the Solar System 1.Order the major objects in solar system by size 2.Use balls in the scale of 1 inch = 100,000 miles 3.Put balls the proper distances apart Count paces or steps instead of inches If a pace = a yard, how many inches is that? Using our scale, how many miles does a pace equal? 1 step = 36 inches x 100,000 miles/inch = 3,600,000 miles! The biggest steps you’ll ever take!

Planet Chart Planet or Dwarf Planet Paces from previous planet Paces from Sun Miles from Sun Diameter in miles Model diameter in inches Mercury 3,000 Venus 7,500 Earth 7,900 Mars 4,200 Jupiter 89,400 Saturn 74,800 Uranus 31,800 Neptune 30,800 Pluto 1,400 Scale for Diameter and Distance: 1 in. = 100,000 mi. 1 pace = 1 yard = 3,600,000 mi. Using this scale, Sun is 8.5 inches in diameter ,000,000

Planet Chart Planet or Dwarf Planet Paces from previous planet Paces from Sun Miles from Sun Diameter in miles Model diameter in inches Mercury 10 36,000,000 3,000 Venus 919 7,500 Earth 726 7,900 Mars ,200 Jupiter ,400 Saturn ,800 Uranus ,800 Neptune ,800 Pluto ,400 Scale for Diameter and Distance: 1 in. = 100,000 mi. 1 pace = 1 yard = 3,600,000 mi. Using this scale, Sun is 8.5 inches in diameter

Modeling Earth, Moon and Sun 1.Get out playdough : ) 2.Make models of the Earth and Moon in scale with this “Sun” 3.Cut a piece of black yarn to represent the distance between the Earth and Moon 4.Place your Earth and Moon models on your table at opposite ends of your piece of yarn If this 40-inch ball represents the Sun, how big should the Earth and Moon be?

Model of Earth, Moon and Sun Scale of 1 inch = 20,000 miles – Sun’s diameter is over 800,000 mi.: Model is in. – Earth’s diameter is about 8,000 miles: Model is.4 in. – Moon’s diameter is about 2,000 miles: Model is.1 in. – Ave. Distance Earth to Moon is 240,000 miles: Model is 12 in. How far away should the Sun model be?

Other Useful Model Scales Scale of 1 inch = 2,000 miles – Earth: 4 inches – Moon: 1 inch and 10 feet from Earth – Sun: 400 inches and 4000 feet from Earth Scale of 1 inch = 100,000 miles – Earth:.08 inch – Moon:.02 inch and 2.4 inches from Earth – Sun: 8.5 inches and 26 yards from Earth – Other planets from.01 to.9 inch Walk the Solar System Lesson Thousand Yard Model

Do “Sky Time” Activities Form a circle inside circle of zodiac constellations Become Earth! Investigate how Earth’s motions cause the apparent motion of the Sun and other stars. Investigate seasons by tilting as Earth does. Discover how latitude effects seasons while longitude effects time of day. Investigate Moon phases and eclipses using balls on pencils to represent the Moon.

Teacher Resources For Kinesthetic Astronomy lessons and assessments by Dr. Cherilynn Morrow and Michael Zawaski, go