Download all planets on the football field below

Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
Honors Earth Science
Background: Currently there are 8 known major planets, plus an estimated thousand other smaller ones
called “dwarf planets”. While many people can name the major planets and their order, most don’t
know their relative location or distance from each other. Distances in space are tough to comprehend.
To make it easier to compare distance, astronomers use the unit “AU” or “astronomical unit”.
1 AU = the average distance from Earth to the Sun = 150,000,000km
Question: How are the major and dwarf planets arranged across the solar system?
Hypothesis:
Procedure:
1) Calculate the distance in AU each planet is from the Sun.
2) Calculate its football field distance from the Sun using the formula:
𝒀𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑮𝒐𝒂𝒍 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒆 (𝑺𝒖𝒏) = 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑺𝒖𝒏 (𝑨𝑼) 𝒙 𝟐. 𝟓𝟔
3) Place the planet you are assigned, on the correct yard line away from the Sun.
4) Plot all planets on the football field diagram on the back of this page.
Observations:
Table 1: Solar System Distances:
Planet
Mercury
Distance (km)
from Sun
58,000,000
Venus
108,000,000
Earth
150,000,000
Mars
228,000,000
Ceres
415,500,000
Jupiter
778,500,000
Saturn
1,430,000,000
Uranus
2,880,000,000
Neptune
4,500,000,000
Orcus
5,875,500,000
Pluto
5,922,000,000
Salacia
6,328,335,000
Haumea
6,469,500,000
Quaoar
6,510,750,000
Makemake
6,868,500,000
Eris
10,150,500,000
Sedna
77,700,000,000
Distance (AU)
from Sun
Football field distance from
Sun (yards)
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
Sketch (nearly) all planets on the football field below
S
U
N
Analysis Questions:
1. Describe where:
a. the 4 inner planets were found on the football field.
b. the 4 outer planets were found on the football field.
c. most dwarf planets were located
2. Explain why was it impossible to place Sedna on the field?
3. Why do astronomers use the measurement of an AU instead of using km?
4. Describe something NEW that you learned from this activity.
CONCLUSION:
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
MERCURY
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
VENUS
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
EARTH
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
MARS
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
CERES
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
JUPITER
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
SATURN
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
URANUS
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
NEPTUNE
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
PLUTO
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
ERIS
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
ORCUS
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
HAUMEA
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
MAKEMAKE
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
SALACIA
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
QUAOAR
Lab: Scaling the Solar System
Honors Earth Science
Name: ________________________
Date: ________________ Hr: ____
SEDNA