Editing Solar System scale activity
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
[[File:Sagamore field longest length.png|thumbnail|800px|The longest length of the [[Sagamore]] field is '''480 ft''']] |
[[File:Sagamore field longest length.png|thumbnail|800px|The longest length of the [[Sagamore]] field is '''480 ft''']] |
||
I'm using an [https://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/ online solar system scale calculator] to see what our solar system model can look like. Although the video serves science education by using metric units, I wonder if we should use US customary units instead? Using the scale chosen in the video, 1,264,000,000:1 (calculated from the video's stated 110 |
I'm using an [https://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/ online solar system scale calculator] to see what our solar system model can look like. Although the video serves science education by using metric units, I wonder if we should use US customary units instead? Using the scale chosen in the video, 1,264,000,000:1 (calculated from the video's stated 110 cm (4.3 inch) grapefruit = 1.39 million kilometer sun)!, we can comfortably get out to Saturn at 370′. A 5.5′ sun gets us Saturn at 470′ (the length of our field) and a scale of 1,600,200,000:1 , but I think I'll stick with their scale because they give us good size references (e.g. Mercury is only the width of just 4 human hairs). |
||
{| class="wikitable" |
{| class="wikitable" |
||
Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
| Earth || 1 millimeter (0.0396″) || 39 || 11 |
| Earth || 1 millimeter (0.0396″) || 39 || 11 |
||
|- |
|||
| Moon || ¼ Earth || 1 || |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
| Mars || ½ the size of Earth (½mm) (0.021″) || 59 || 20 |
| Mars || ½ the size of Earth (½mm) (0.021″) || 59 || 20 |
||
Line 38: | Line 36: | ||
! What !! Distance from Sun (miles) |
! What !! Distance from Sun (miles) |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| Alpha Centauri <br>(Nearest star) || 2,000 |
| Alpha Centauri <br>(Nearest star) || 2,000 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| Galactic center <br>(Center of Milky Way) || 12,873,222 |
| Galactic center <br>(Center of Milky Way) || 12,873,222 |
||
|} |
|} |
||
{| class="wikitable" |
{| class="wikitable" |
||
! What !! Quantity |
! What !! Quantity |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| Light Speed || 1 inch per second |
| Light Speed || 1 inch per second |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| Light Year || |
| Light Year || 465 miles |
||
|- |
|||
| Width of Milky Way || 100-120 thousand light years |
|||
|} |
|} |
||
---- |
|||
'''Fastest manmade object''' is the Juno spacecraft sent to study Jupiter as it uses |
|||
Earth's gravity as a slingshot it will reach 25 miles per second. A '''bullet's speed''' is ½ mile per second and '''light's speed''' 186,000 miles per second. |
|||
The Milky Way is ~110 thousand light years across, the Andromeda Galaxy is 2.5 million ly away, our local group of ~54 galaxies is about 10 million ly across, |
|||
==Activity== |
==Activity== |
||
Line 65: | Line 54: | ||
'''Establish a foot''' by measuring the leaders foot and deciding how they'll walk to measure out feet. |
'''Establish a foot''' by measuring the leaders foot and deciding how they'll walk to measure out feet. |
||
The leader will have stiff flags with the scale planets attached and labeled. |
The leader will have stiff flags with the scale planets attached and labeled.. |
||
Each planet's distance from the Sun is shared, and '''the group counts out he paces'''. '''The true model planet is revealed and its flag planted, a factoid is shared'''; imaginations are challenged. '''Repeat''' up to the Earth, then fast-forward to Saturn (when we run out of space). |
Each planet's distance from the Sun is shared, and '''the group counts out he paces'''. '''The true model planet is revealed and its flag planted, a factoid is shared'''; imaginations are challenged. '''Repeat''' up to the Earth, then fast-forward to Saturn (when we run out of space). |
||
Line 71: | Line 60: | ||
I know it might be hard to keep all kids engaged. But, it's outside, they get to run around a bit and count out paces, and I think seeing how tiny the planets actually are and how far away everything is, can impart '''a real impression of the reality of space'''. |
I know it might be hard to keep all kids engaged. But, it's outside, they get to run around a bit and count out paces, and I think seeing how tiny the planets actually are and how far away everything is, can impart '''a real impression of the reality of space'''. |
||
==Materials== |
|||
* '''Grapefruit''' or other 4.3″ Sun like object |
* '''Grapefruit''' or other 4.3″ Sun like object |
||
* 1 foot '''ruler''' |
* 1 foot '''ruler''' |
||
* A '''globe'' from the [[Sagamore Science Lab]] |
* A '''globe'' from the [[Sagamore Science Lab]] |
||
* (6) '''Small, stiff, flags''' |
* (6) '''Small, stiff, flags''' to label and attach scale planets |
||
* Nearby '''rocks & sand''' (for planets) |
* Nearby '''rocks & sand''' (for planets) |
||
==Script== |
|||
Do you all know '''what the solar system is?''' ''[discussion]'' How about the '''size of planets and where they are in the solar system?''' ''[discussion]'' |
Do you all know '''what the solar system is?''' ''[discussion]'' How about the '''size of planets and where they are in the solar system?''' ''[discussion]'' |
||
Line 140: | Line 129: | ||
'''Have fun''' flying around the solar system! |
'''Have fun''' flying around the solar system! |
||
[[File:2014 Sagamore Space Day journal entry.jpeg|frame|center|"5/8/14 Today I learned about space. I learned the Sun is not the biggest star. The planets are so far apart. I like Saturn and Neptune. The planets orbit the Sun. The moon orbits the Earth." ''--Sagamore first grader'']] |
|||
[[Category:Sagamore Hills Elementary School 2013-2014]] |