SKY FAMILIARIZATION WITH THE SC001 STAR CHART
PHYS XXXXXXXXXXSCALE MODEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
NAME _____________________________ DATE:_______________ CLASS:___DAY ___NIGHT
In this laboratory activity, you will investigate the concepts of relative size and distances of the planets by
constructing a scale model of the solar system.
Part One – Sizes of the Planets
You’ve been hired by the college to construct a scale model of the solar system on the Nava
o College
Waxahachie campus. You must place each planet in the model to be constructed in such a way as to
demonstrate to the public the proper dimensions of each world. In this part of the lab, you will calculate the
elative sizes of Solar System objects if we were to shrink the Earth down to a diameter of 1 inch. Complete
the table below…
PLANET REAL DIAMETER
(KILOMETERS)
MODEL
DIAMETER
(MM)
MODEL
DIAMETER
(METERS)
Sun 1,400,000
Mercury 4,878
Venus 12,104
Earth 12,756 25
Mars 6,786
Jupiter 142,984
Saturn 120,536
Uranus 51,118
Neptune 49,532
Part Two – Distances to the Planets
In this part of the lab, you will decide where to place each planet on the Nava
o College campus to
demonstrate the relative distances from the Sun. You have been provided with a campus map with a distance
line drawn from the flagpole in front of the A Building. .
Place your “Sun” in front of the flag pole in front of the A Building and align your solar system along John
Arden Drive going towards Carlisle Chevrolet. Notice that each mark on the distance line is 1 astronomical
unit (AU) and that Earth’s position is already labeled. On this line, 1 AU = 100t. Use this information to
complete the table below.
PLANET DISTANCE (AU) DISTANCE
(METERS from A)
Mercury 0.387
Venus 0.723
Earth 1 100
Mars 1.524
Jupiter 5.203
Saturn 9.539
Uranus 19.191
Neptune 30.061
Part Three – Label the Campus Map
Using the distance value for each planet in the table above, place a marker for each planet on the distance
line on the provided campus map. In this way, you will have a visual representation of the Nava
o College
campus Solar System Model that could be used to determine where to place each planet model at its proper
distance. Make sure that you label each location with the planet’s name.
PHYS XXXXXXXXXXSCALE MODEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
NAME _____________________________ DATE:_______________ CLASS:___DAY ___NIGHT
QUESTIONS
1. Which planets have o
ital positions that never travel beyond the far end of the C-building parking
lot in your model?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Which planet could you encounter just past where IH-35 and TX-287 cross?
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Between which two buildings on campus would you expect to see the model of Venus?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Which planet’s o
it would pass through the Carlisle Chevrolet parking lot?
______________________________________________________________________________
5. Which planet model would you expect to inside the A building?
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Does Saturn’s o
it cross Ovilla Rd ALONG the scale?
______________________________________________________________________________
7. Which planet model(s) could cross Ovilla Rd ANYWHERE along Ovilla Rd?
______________________________________________________________________________
8. Label the location at which each planet that crossed Ovilla Rd would actually cross the road.
Assume circular o
its.
______________________________________________________________________________
9. Which planet, as it moves in its o
it, would pass just inside the marker for Owens Croning?
______________________________________________________________________________
10. Which planet, as it moves in its o
it, would pass just beyond the marker for Baylor Scott and White?
______________________________________________________________________________
PHYS XXXXXXXXXXSCALE MODEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
NAME _____________________________ DATE:_______________ CLASS:___DAY ___NIGHT
Plot the INNER Solar System PLUS Jupiter on THIS map. The Earth and the Sun are
already marked for you.
PHYS XXXXXXXXXXSCALE MODEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
NAME _____________________________ DATE:_______________ CLASS:___DAY ___NIGHT
Plot the OUTER Solar System on THIS map (INCLUDE JUPITER). The Earth and Sun are already marked
on the scale for you. Don’t forget in Question 8 to mark those planet positions as they would cross Ovilla
Rd as well.
Homework 2 Mercury Venus and Mars
1. Which of the following is NOT one of the key reasons that so many spacecraft from Earth have visited Venus and Mars?
they are the two planets closest to the Earth
they resemble the Earth in a number of significant ways
their atmospheres are very similar to the Earth in terms of their chemical make-up
oth have tantalized us when seen through a telescope -- one because it is perpetually covered by clouds, the other because it shows seasonal changes
they each have a solid surface on which we can trace their geological history
2 .What planet can come closest to the Earth in its o
it and look
ightest in our skies?
Venus
Mars
Mercury
Jupite
none of the above
3. The same gas makes up most of the atmosphere of Mars and Venus. This gas is:
water vapo
nitrogen
ozone
ammonia gas
ca
on dioxide
4 The planet that most resembles the Earth in size and internal composition is
Mars
Venus
Mercury
Jupite
the Moon
5.I want to examine the surface of a planet which is completely covered by a thick layer of clouds all the time. What wavelength of electromagnetic radiation would I be smartest to use:
visible light
x-rays
adio waves (like radar)
any of the above would work
none would work
6. What is the cause of the weird te
ain on one side of the planet Mercury posing the caloris basin?
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