Our Solar System Planets Their Size and Distance

Our Solar System Planets Their Size and Distance

The Sun and Planets of the Solar System Relative Size of the Sun & Planets

The Maine Solar System Model University of Maine, Presque Isle • A 40 mile (64. 6 km) long scale model of the Solar System, at a scale of 1 mile (1. 6 km) equaling the distance between the centers of the Earth and Sun • The model has 10 major components, those being the Sun and the nine planets from Mercury to Pluto • Included are moons for Earth, Saturn, Jupiter (4) and Pluto • The planets are exhibited as 3 D models. • The 2 largest planetary models, Jupiter and Saturn, measure 4 -5 feet across (1. 22 - 1. 52 m), and the 2 mid-sized planets Uranus and Neptune measure 21 -22 inches (53 - 56 cm) http: //pages. umpi. edu/~nmms/solar/

Relative Sizes of the Planets when Sun is included

Relative Sizes of the Planets

What are we doing in the Lab today? 1. Measure the diameter of a sphere representing one of the larger planets, Saturn, in order to determine a scale 2. Convert the true (actual) diameter and distance from the sun for all the planets using this same scale factor, and record the results in a prepared worksheet table A set of paper images of the planets are available at this same scale to measure as a check on your diameter calculations 3. Introduce the Astronomical Unit (AU) as a new more convenient unit for solar system distances 4. Calculate the distances for all the planets in Astronomical Units (AU) and record the results in your worksheet 5. Using a lab floor tile to represent an AU, determine where each planet should be located to produce a Solar System distance model

Modeling the Planets and their Distance from the Sun Student Worksheet Table