This week we have been exploring the star system we call home. It is named for Sol (the Sun), our very own star. Sol may be only a medium sized star, but it is just about perfect for its distance from us, in my opinion. It gives us toasty summers, cool falls and springs, and a little snow to sled on for a day or two most winters.

 

Yesterday we brainstormed models for the planets and other bodies of the Solar System. We chose an 8 inch styrofoam ball to represent Sol. Each table in the Exploratorium had a tub of possible models ranging from grapefruits down to pinheads. They included apples, walnuts, two sizes of marbles, a “bouncy” ball, golf balls, different sizes of styrofoam balls, BBs, small seeds, peppercorns, almonds, acorns, hazelnuts, and anything else we could find that resembled a sphere. Each group arranged an assortment of spheres to represent the palnets, the dwarf planets, asteroids, moons, and comets. Then we compared notes.

 

Then Mr. Shaw announced the actual sizes we would have to make our models if we shrank to whole solar system till the sun were that 8 inch ball. We found that we had made our models way too big! Here are some pretty good models:

 

The Sun: An 8 inch ball

Mercury: a small pinhead

Venus: a BB (a peppercorn would work too)

Earth: a BB (a peppercorn would work too)

Mars: a larger pinhead

Ceres (dwarf planet): this period.

Jupiter: a large marble

Saturn: a small styrofoam ball (about the size of a large grape)

Uranus: a regular-sized marble

Neptune: a regular-sized marble

Pluto (dwarf planet): this period.

Eris (dwarf planet): this period.

 

 

 

Next we will estimate where to place the models so that they will be proportionately the right distances apart. Then we will measure with the trundle wheel and place our models during our Walk Through the Solar System.