Solar System Scale: Difference between revisions
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== | {| class="wikitable" style="color:black; background-color:#ddd; margin-left: auto; float:right" | ||
| [[Astronomy]]: | |||
Elementary School, Middle School, High School | | Planet Scale, Solar System Scale | ||
|- | |||
| Grade Range: | |||
| [[Elementary School]], [[Middle School]], [[High School]] | |||
|- | |||
| Format: | |||
| [[Hands-on]], [[Stage]] | |||
|} | |||
== Materials == | == Materials == | ||
* Solar System Box | |||
* Two Sun Boards | |||
* Cord with Paper Clip Markers | |||
== Safety Precautions == | == Safety Precautions == | ||
Please read the General Safety section of the [[Demonstration Safety]] page before performing this demonstration. | |||
== | == Demonstration == | ||
;Presentation (Stage): | |||
# Set up one half of the sun and connect the string to it. Explain to the audience that they are about to see a scaled-down version of our solar system. | |||
# Ask the audience to name the planets in order as you hang them. Be sure to give some quick facts on each planet (listed in Why This Works) Pause when you get to Mars, and explain that these four planets are the rocky planets. Have your co-presenter pull out the other half of the sun and set it up about six feet away from the first half, and emphasize the size difference. | |||
# Continue to have the audience name the planets as you hang them until you have all the planets on the string. Have your co-presenter hold the sun in place, or it might fall over! | |||
# Once you have all the planets on the string, Ask the audience if they can guess how far away the nearest neighboring star, Proxima Centauri, would be on this scale. Allow a few guesses until you reveal that it would be about 50 miles away! | |||
;Presentation (Hands-on): | |||
# Set up the string of planets, and connect the string to the sun. Set the sun and the string along a wall, and have the end of the string suspended on a hook or pole. | |||
# Allow students to come up to the string, and walk them down the length of the string so to see how big and small the planets are compared to each other. Provide some fun facts on the planets as you do so. | |||
The purpose of this demonstration is to give a very visual representation of the relative sizes and distances to the different planets and | ==Why This Works== | ||
'''''COMING SOON''''' | |||
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The purpose of this demonstration is to give a very visual representation of the relative sizes and distances to the different planets. Almost all of the students you present this to will have heard of the planets, but it might be hard for them to visualize the size of the other planets in our solar system, and the size of the earth in comparison. The table below lists the information you need when naming all the planets: | |||
Start by showing the earth and simply asking what it is. Explain that it represents the scale of the earth and using that scale the kids will discover the sizes of the other planets as well as the composition and general information about the planets. Explain that the scale of the earth is so that the radius of the earth is one centimeter (meaning that the actual earth prop is two centimeters in diameter). | Start by showing the earth and simply asking what it is. Explain that it represents the scale of the earth and using that scale the kids will discover the sizes of the other planets as well as the composition and general information about the planets. Explain that the scale of the earth is so that the radius of the earth is one centimeter (meaning that the actual earth prop is two centimeters in diameter). | ||
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It would then follow to ask how large the sun might be if that were the size of the earth. After taking some guesses, set up the sun to show how large it truly is (over 218 cm or 7’ in diameter). Follow this by working outward away from the sun with each planet (Mercury, then Venus, etc). Be sure to ask the kids if they know which planet comes next (if they don’t know try to hint at what it might be) and explain the marble planet-composition models for each planet. | It would then follow to ask how large the sun might be if that were the size of the earth. After taking some guesses, set up the sun to show how large it truly is (over 218 cm or 7’ in diameter). Follow this by working outward away from the sun with each planet (Mercury, then Venus, etc). Be sure to ask the kids if they know which planet comes next (if they don’t know try to hint at what it might be) and explain the marble planet-composition models for each planet. | ||
Once the planets have been distributed to the kids ask if any of them know the distance to the sun. If no one knows, tell them that the earth is 93 million miles from the sun (it would be useful to write this on a board if available or to have a poster with the number written on it) use the Million Dot Book to give a more visual representation of a million. Show the rope and explain that the distance between the earth and sun is going to be represented by one foot and ask the volunteer with earth to stand at the appropriate location. Continue in the same fashion as with the planets, working outwards from Mercury to Neptune. After all the planets have been placed at their appropriate locations, have the group come back together and ask if anyone can guess how far away the closest star is at this scale. The effect may be greater if they’re simply told to go higher and higher in number before revealing it’s distance. Be sure to reiterate that the scales are NOT the same. This is easily accomplished by saying that if the scale of the planets and distances were the same, the earth would be around 770’ away from the sun, Neptune would be more than 4 miles away and Proxima Centauri would be 39,000 miles away, more than half way around the real earth! Bear in mind the age group of the kids; younger kids will get more confused if you throw too many numbers and conversions at them and won’t be as able to grasp the large numbers used in this final comparison as well. | Once the planets have been distributed to the kids ask if any of them know the distance to the sun. If no one knows, tell them that the earth is 93 million miles from the sun (it would be useful to write this on a board if available or to have a poster with the number written on it) use the Million Dot Book to give a more visual representation of a million. Show the rope and explain that the distance between the earth and sun is going to be represented by one foot and ask the volunteer with earth to stand at the appropriate location. Continue in the same fashion as with the planets, working outwards from Mercury to Neptune. After all the planets have been placed at their appropriate locations, have the group come back together and ask if anyone can guess how far away the closest star is at this scale. The effect may be greater if they’re simply told to go higher and higher in number before revealing it’s distance. Be sure to reiterate that the scales are NOT the same. This is easily accomplished by saying that if the scale of the planets and distances were the same, the earth would be around 770’ away from the sun, Neptune would be more than 4 miles away and Proxima Centauri would be 39,000 miles away, more than half way around the real earth! Bear in mind the age group of the kids; younger kids will get more confused if you throw too many numbers and conversions at them and won’t be as able to grasp the large numbers used in this final comparison as well. --> | ||
== | ==Additional Information== | ||
* This demonstration pairs well with the [[Planetary Compositions]] demonstration. | |||
* This demonstration is a part of the [[Astronomy Show]]. | |||
Revision as of 18:52, 7 June 2016
| Astronomy: | Planet Scale, Solar System Scale |
| Grade Range: | Elementary School, Middle School, High School |
| Format: | Hands-on, Stage |
Materials
- Solar System Box
- Two Sun Boards
- Cord with Paper Clip Markers
Safety Precautions
Please read the General Safety section of the Demonstration Safety page before performing this demonstration.
Demonstration
- Presentation (Stage)
- Set up one half of the sun and connect the string to it. Explain to the audience that they are about to see a scaled-down version of our solar system.
- Ask the audience to name the planets in order as you hang them. Be sure to give some quick facts on each planet (listed in Why This Works) Pause when you get to Mars, and explain that these four planets are the rocky planets. Have your co-presenter pull out the other half of the sun and set it up about six feet away from the first half, and emphasize the size difference.
- Continue to have the audience name the planets as you hang them until you have all the planets on the string. Have your co-presenter hold the sun in place, or it might fall over!
- Once you have all the planets on the string, Ask the audience if they can guess how far away the nearest neighboring star, Proxima Centauri, would be on this scale. Allow a few guesses until you reveal that it would be about 50 miles away!
- Presentation (Hands-on)
- Set up the string of planets, and connect the string to the sun. Set the sun and the string along a wall, and have the end of the string suspended on a hook or pole.
- Allow students to come up to the string, and walk them down the length of the string so to see how big and small the planets are compared to each other. Provide some fun facts on the planets as you do so.
Why This Works
COMING SOON
Additional Information
- This demonstration pairs well with the Planetary Compositions demonstration.
- This demonstration is a part of the Astronomy Show.