Scale Distances In The Solar System printable pdf download

Astronomy Day from McDonald Observatory

Solar System Scale Activity

Teacher Guide

Materials needed (per student):

* A 24” sentence strip, or a strip of paper 3” wide by 24” long.

* Pencil

Directions

1) Place the piece of paper on your desk in front of you vertically (so that it is tall instead of fat).

In very small letters, write “Sun” on the very top edge of the strip and “Pluto” on the very bottom

edge. Encourage students to use small print, especially for the Sun. And instruct them to NOT use

circles to depict object, just letters.

2) Fold the strip in half (top to bottom) and open it up again, showing the crease. Ask the students

what object in the Solar System might belong on the crease. Maybe there isn’t an object there. Ask

what other astronomical objects make up the solar system. Usually, students will respond with the order

of the planets – My Very Education Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas… or more recently – My Very

Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos. (See note below about Pluto’s new “Dwarf Planet” status).

You may want to write M,V,E,M,J,S,U,N,P on the board as a reminder.

3) What planet do you think might belong on the crease (halfway from the Sun to Pluto)? Write

your guess on the crease. If there is time available, you may collect a few strips and tape them to the

board and have the class vote on which planet they think is accurate. Next, reveal the answer and hand

back the strips.

4) Write in the rest of the planets on the strip of paper, making sure you put them in order and

keep their relative locations where you think they should be.

5) When your teacher provides the “answer key”, write down the answers on the other side of the

paper. Compare the correct answers to your own. How did you do? Read the following key to the

class, or write down on the board.

To Make the Answer Key:

1) Turn strip over and refold halfway between Sun and Pluto. On the crease,

write Uranus.

2) Fold Pluto to Uranus. Write Neptune.

3) Fold Sun to Uranus. Write Saturn.

4) Fold Sun to Saturn. Write Jupiter.

5) Fold Sun to Jupiter. Write No Planet or Asteroid Belt.

6) Fold Sun to Asteroid Belt. Write Mars.

7) Fold Sun to Mars. Write Venus.

8) Write Mercury in between Sun and Venus.

9) Ask students which planet is missing. Write in Earth in between Venus and

Mars.

Scale Distances In The Solar System