Download Planet/Dwarf Planet and Moon Assignments

Planet/Dwarf Planet and Moon Assignments
Poster
Name
Planet
Moon
Travel
Brochure
Inner ellipse
Outer
ellipse (50cm
minor axis)
Athas, Nicole
Mercury
Callisto
Earth
Mercury
Giguere, Dillon
Venus
earth’s Moon
Earth
Venus
Rhine
Earth
Moon
Makemake
Ganymede
Mars
Earth
Ganymede
Saturn
your largest
Saturn
Jupiter &
Earth
Saturn
Eris
your largest
Sedna
Europa
Haumea
your largest
Neptune
your largest
Neptune
Jupiter &
Earth
Neptune
Pluto
your largest
Pluto
Jupiter &
Earth
Io
Uranus
your largest
Uranus
Jupiter &
Earth
Uranus
Nanthavong,
Nicholas
Mars
your largest
Mars
Earth
Mars
Peterson, Jake
Ceres
earth’s moon
Earth
Ceres
Wentzell,
Benjamin
Jupiter
your largest
Ho, Willie
Jacek, Steven
Kablik, Jesse
Kelly, Carl
Keohane, Curtis
Lane, Adam
Maher, Ashley
Morrisey, Patrick
Earth
Titan
Pluto
Sedna
Europa
Callisto
Planets were assigned based on how noisy you are in class!
Jupiter
Name: _____________________________________
Planet & Satellite Research Project
Date: ________________________
Calculating Scale and Orbital Data for Your Planet & Reference Planet
You will be drawing the orbits of your assigned planet or dwarf planet on the large poster. In addition,
you will also draw the orbit of a second planet to give the reader a sense of scale of the solar system.
Feel free to draw additional inner planet orbits if you like.
1. Look at the table of planet assignments to see which planet will be your outer ellipse. Note that
your outer ellipse will be scaled to have a minor axis of 50 cm.
If the minor axis is 50 cm, the semi-minor axis is b = _________ cm
2. Look up the semi-major axis (a) eccentricity (e) for your outer planet. Use them to calculate the
size of the semi-minor axis (b). Then find the scale factor for your diagram, and use it to calculate
your focal points, aphelion, and perihelion distances. Neatly show your work to the right of the table
(no work = no credit). I listed these in fairly logical order to calculate & use to draw your ellipse.
Before you begin, label a, b, ae, f1, f2, q (Rp), Q (Ra) on
this ellipse:
Outer ellipse calcs for planet:
Look up this data:
a (millions of miles)
e (unitless)
Calculate these values
(neatly show work to the right)
b (millions of miles)
b (cm)
25 cm (size of paper)
Scale factor: 1 cm =
million miles
a (cm)
focus, f
(millions of miles)
f (cm)
q = Rp = perihelion
distance (mill. miles)
q = Rp = perihelion
distance (cm)
Q = Ra = aphelion
distance (mill. miles)
Q = Ra = aphelion
distance (cm)
Useful equations you found in Kepler's 1st Law Worksheet:
From ellipse geometry & pythagorean thm: b2 + (ae)2 = a2
therefore, b = a (1− e2 ) , a =
b
(1 − e2 )
, and e = 1−
b2
.
a2
Proof of this is worth bonus points! Time running out on this bonus!