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The “Same and Different” Challenge: Sun, Earth
and Jupiter
Teacher Background
Our solar system basically contains three types of objects:
* Sun: our star, a giant ball of plasma, primarily composed of hydrogen and helium
* Jovian planets: named after Jupiter, also includes Saturn, Uranus and Neptune: huge compared to Earth,
but not the Sun; also balls of gas and primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, but not large enough
to have caught fire with nuclear fusion
*Terrestrial objects: includes the rocky planets Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars and icy Pluto, Earth’s Moon
and the moons of other planets such as Jupiter’s mini-solar system of large satellites, as well as comets,
and asteroids—all composed of solid matter.
This Activity is a challenging Compare and Contrast between three of these objects. In researching the
more obvious features, students will also be challenged to encounter some unknowns and uncertainties, as
well as the more obvious similarities and differences.
For example, do all three objects have a core? Yes. Is that core solid? Yes, for Earth. No, for the Sun,
though pressure at its center is so great that the plasma of ions and electrons is 13 times denser than lead.
Does that make it solid? No. As for Jupiter, we don’t know, but researchers think there might be a core
and a layer of metallic hydrogen, a liquid behaving like a metal! So, a perfectly good response might be,
“Yes they all have cores. Are they solid? It depends what you mean by solid. This is an Activity in which
“talking heads” as well as computer jocks with a taste for odd facts will be valued team members.
Objectives
Students will construct a concept map of key features and processes on planet Earth.
Students will work in teams and use local and online materials to compare and contrast a chosen subset of
possibly similar or different features and processes on the Sun, Earth and Jupiter.
Students will work together as a class to create an integrated display of similarities and differences for the
three major categories of objects in our solar system.
Materials
Blackline master (an interplanetary “Cliff’s Notes”)
online access or other reference materials
art materials to record the findings
Vocabulary
atmosphere, climate, core, jovian, moon, rotation, revolution, satellite, terrestrial
Engage
Pick a familiar topic for a concept map which allows you to review how they work. Let’s say “Living
Things.” Have students concept map all the characteristics that living things have in common. Although
plants, fish, fungi, and humans are quite different, they have a lot in common, and a few key
characteristics that make them different. Can the same be true for objects in the solar system?
Explore/Explain
Have students as a group do a concept map focusing on the structure and workings of the Earth. From
past experiences they probably know it has a core, a rocky mantle, an atmosphere, continents that move, a
magnetic field, etc. Brainstorm with students, accept all categories, fill the chalkboard or overhead display
with possibilities, and establish a set of features that incorporate and extend the list cited above.
Now issue the challenge. How does Earth compare with two major objects in the solar system, the Sun
and Jupiter?
An initial list of features to compare and contrast might include:
• a core (solid or not)
• interior structure
• one or many magnetic field(s)
• magnetosphere
• atmosphere
• internal heat source
• weather (and climate), including clouds, storms, hurricanes, jet streams
• eruptions/ejections
• natural satellites
• research satellites from Earth in orbit
• moves through space relative to the core of the Milky Way
• is impacted by comets, asteroids, etc.
• has craters and other surface features
• period of rotation (and revolution around the Sun)
• lightning
• life
• generates radio waves
• and, a host of other surprising similarities and differences that your students will discover.
When finished, post to the LFSUN website to provoke and challenge other students!
Through interaction with students add to or remove from, the list of possible topics. Depending on your
preferred classroom practice, either assign or let teams of 2-6 students choose features to research and
report to the whole class. This can be homework or an in school activity. Presentations can be verbal or
reports or run the gamut to full multimedia displays.
Expand/Adapt/Connect
Options: You can also split the class into three groups: Sun, Earth (terrestrial planets), Jupiter (Jovian
planets). Based on the concept map the class generated for the Earth, each group is to research their object
and discover how it compares to the Earth, and report back. Each “Feature Team” might make a verbal or
multimedia presentation to the class that would accept, question or reject their evidence for similarity and
difference. A large wall-chart with “Features” on the left and 3 vertical columns for Sun, Earth and
Jupiter might provide a ready reference. Go online to research more.
Have students use their SUNlogs to record class findings, including those where students are uncertain.
(Tell them they may find this useful for review at the end of the unit and that you’ll be checking SUNlogs
as part of your review of their work.)
Use the visual and textual evidence submitted as part of a SUN*Expo, or event for parents’ night or other
public display.
Suggested URLs
http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp/
It's all here! The ‘Nine Planets’ site is a great reference for this project. It contains the most up to date
information on all objects in the solar system, as well as historical data.
http://windows.ivv.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/tour.cgi/windows3but.map(sw=false&sn=1&d
=/images&edu=mid&br=graphic&cd=false&fr=f&tour=)?108,85
Windows to the Universe: easy to understand reference material, a comparison between Earth and other
planets and great images.
http://spaceart.com/solar/eng/homepage.htm
Views of the Solar System: a good site for information on the planets and good graphics.