Junior Ranger: Super Solar System

NASA

Earth is a part of a large group of objects in space called the solar system. This group is everything that orbits or moves around the Sun. Our solar system has nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. That’s not all! The solar system has asteroids, comets, moons, icy objects, and more!

Astronomers are scientists that study space. It can be difficult to understand space when it’s too far away and too big to see. Astronomers make models or copies of our solar system to study it from a reasonable size here on Earth. Let’s model like an astronomer!

We are going make the model of the solar system using items you find around your home. The measurements of the model will not be accurate like astronomers’ model, but it will give us some idea of how big the solar system is.

Materials:

• 8 balls or round objects, such as pom-poms, beads, or even a rolled up sock or a pillow
• Lots of room!

Directions:
After collecting all the balls or round objects you can find around your house, organize them by size: the five smallest and the five biggest.

1. Find the largest ball. It will represent the Sun.

The Sun is the largest object in our solar system. It is the only start in our solar system, but there are many more stars in the universe. The Sun is what gives light to see and warmth for living things to grow. Size compared to Earth: Imagin the sun is the size of a front door, then the Earth would be the size of a nickel.

2. Find the smallest ball and set it next to the Sun. It represents Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.
Mercury likes to keep things simple by being the smallest planet and having no moons. It is rocky planet with surface covered in craters, like our Moon..Size compared to Earth: Mercury is a little larger than Earth’s Moon.

3. Find the third smallest ball and set it next to Mercury. It represents Venus.

Venus’s atmosphere traps heat like an oven because its thick atmosphere is full of hot greenhouse gas and very cloudy.Size compared to Earth: Venus is almost exactly the same size as Earth. .

4. Find the fourth smallest ball and set it next to Venus. This is Earth.

Oceans and seas of water makes Earth unique from other planets. The atmosphere here is the only atmosphere we can naturally breathe in without having to use tools or space suits.

5. Find the second smallest ball and set it next to Earth. It the Mars.

Mars has a rusty iron ground causing it to be a cold, red desert. That is why it is so red!Size compared to Earth: Imagine Earth was the size of a dime, then Mars would be the size of a standard pill tablet.

6. Find the second biggest ball and set it and next to Earth. This represents the biggest planet in the solar system, Jupiter.

It is a gas giant and doesn’t have a solid surface. It’s covered in fun, swirling cloud stripes. There is big red dot (like a pimple on a face) visible on Jupiter. The dot, called the Great Red Spot, is really a huge storm going on for over hundreds of years! Size compared to Earth: Imagine Jupitar as a basketball, then Earth would be the size of a grape.

7. Find the third biggest ball and set it next to Jupiter. This represents Saturn.

Saturn is not the only planet with rings, but it has the most spectacular ones. The seven rings are made of smaller ringlets full of ice and rock chunks. Size compared to Earth: Nine Earths lined-up side-by-side equal the whole diameter of Saturn (not including the rings).

8. Find the sixth smallest ball and set it next to Saturn. This represents Uranus.

Uranus atmosphere is like Jupiter and Saturn’s, but it also has methane. Methane makes the planet blue. Size compared to Earth: Imagine Uranus as a basketball, then Erath would be the size of an apple.

9. Find the fifth smallest ball and set it next to Uranus. This represents the last planet in the solar system, Neptune.

Neptune is cold, dark, and very windy. This planet is a lot like Uranus with almost the same materials. So it’s blue too! Size compared to Earth: Imagine Neptune as a basketball, then Erath would be the size of an apple.

10. Spread a belt of beads or small pom poms throughout the space between Jupiter and Mars. All of these beads represent asteroids in the main asteroid belt.

Asteroids are much smaller than planets and are rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Asteroids are leftover from the formation of the solar system.

Now that you have built our solar system, how could we make this model more accurate? How far apart are all these celestial objects?

Without using a telescope, try to spot Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and/or Saturn in the night sky. They’re visible with the naked eye.

Ranger Hint: Kettle River Campground and Gifford Campground are great places to see a dark night sky, but you can see stars from just about anywhere in the park.

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Learn how to become a Junior Ranger Night Explorer: download the book, complete the activities, get the patch! Follow this link to learn more!

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