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Scale of the Solar System Astronomy Name: Date: Pd: Interplanetary travel is extremely difficult due to the almost unimaginable distances between the planets in our solar system. Voyager II, traveling at nearly 50,000 mph took 12 years to reach the planet Neptune! This gives you an idea of just how far our planets are from each other. However, we can make a scale model of the distances between the planets using almost anything as our reference. In doing so, we may be able to determine a variety of ways to classify the planets of our solar system and get an idea of just how much space there is in space. Still, even with all of the technological advances that have been made in the last several years, it is almost impossible to make a scale model of the solar system that is correct in both planetary diameter and distance. Engage: The picture above represents how the planets are often represented in space. Above the picture, write the names of the planets in the proper order. What does this picture get right and what does this picture get wrong? You now know that the planets are not equidistant. In the space below, place the planets where YOU believe they sit in our solar system (draw a dot for each planet – don’t worry about planet size). Take into consideration how much space you believe exists between planets and how close to the sun they are. Write the name above each dot you place. You may want to write the names at 90 degree angles to the box in order to fit them properly. Next, discuss at your table where you believe the planets to lie in our solar system. As a group, come up with an agreement about where the planets are located and indicate them below. Now let’s see! Procedure: To begin, let’s get an idea of the scaled size of the planets relative to one another. Using a compass and colored construction paper, create “planets” using the following table. Don’t forget to label them so you remember which is which! PLANET/DWARF PLANET DIAMETER Mercury 3,032 miles Venus 7,521 miles Earth 7,926 miles Mars 4,222 miles Jupiter 88,846 miles Saturn 74,898 miles Uranus 31,763 miles Neptune 30,778 miles Pluto 1,475 miles The sun is 100 cm in diameter at this scale!!! SCALED DIAMETER 0.3 cm 0.8 cm 0.9 cm 0.5 cm 10 cm 8 cm 3 cm 3 cm 0.1 cm Now that you have your scaled planets, let’s head outside and scale the distances between them… Scale of the Solar System – Page 2 Astronomy Name: Date: Pd: Below you will find the actual scaled distances of the solar system. Move the planets to where they actually belong and make notes in the space below about what you got wrong and what is most surprising about the actual spacing. PLANET/DWARF DISTANCE FROM SUN DISTANCE FROM SUN SHUTTLE TRAVEL PLANET (MILES) (SCALED) TIME FROM EARTH Mercury 36,000,000 40 cm 52 days Venus 67,000,000 70 cm 100 days Earth 93,000,000 1m --Mars 142,000,000 1.5 m 210 days Jupiter 484,000,000 5.2 m 1.9 years Saturn 897,000,000 9.6 m 3.6 years Uranus 1,785,000,000 19.2 m 7.3 years Neptune 2,793,000,000 30.1 m 11.4 years Pluto 3,647,000,000 39.3 m 15.1 years By the way – to make a true scaled model, you would have to multiply each distance by 100 to make them fit the size of your cut-out planets!!! Notes about changes: Discussion: 1. Create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting terrestrial and jovian planets. 2. Alpha Centauri, the closest visible star to our solar system, is located 25,000,000,000,000 miles away. How many meters away is it in our scaled solar system? Show your work. 3. On August 24, 2006 Pluto was downgraded to a dwarf planet. How has the data in this activity support that decision? 4. Look at the shuttle travel times in the table above, why might it take longer to get to Venus today than it does Mercury? Include a sketch to help explain your answer. Conclusion: Write a paragraph summarizing your findings from this activity.