Planet
Lab: Patterns in the Solar System
Purpose: to summarize the distance and spacing of the planets in the solar system.
Materials
ruler
colored pencils
calculator
meterstick
adding machine tape, 4m
Introduction
The order that exists within the solar system is directly related to the laws of physics that governed its formation. Astronomers have determined that the Sun and planets originated approximately 4.6 billion years ago from an enormous cloud of dust and gas. As this nebula contracted, it began to rotate and flatten. Eventually the temperature and pressure in the center of the cloud was great enough to initiate nuclear fusion and form the Sun.
Near the center of the nebula, the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars evolved under nearly the same conditions and consequently exhibit similar physical properties. Because these planets are rocky objects with solid surfaces, they are collectively called the terrestrial (Earth-like) planets.
The outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, being farther from the Sun than the terrestrial planets, formed under much colder conditions and are gaseous objects with central cores of ices and rock. Since the four planets are very similar, they are often grouped together and called the Jovian (Jupiter-like) planets. The planet Pluto is not included in either group since its great distance and small size make determining its complete characteristics impossible at the present time.
The table below illustrates many of the individual characteristics of the planets in the solar system.
| |Mean Distance from Sun |Diameter |
|Planet |Au |Millions of |Millions of |Miles |Kilometers |
| | |Miles |Kilometers | | |
|Mercury |.387 |36 |58 |3015 |4854 |
|Venus |0.723 |67 |108 |7526 |12,112 |
|Earth |1.00 |93 |150 |7920 |12,751 |
|Mars |1.524 |142 |228 |4216 |6788 |
|Jupiter |5.203 |483 |778 |88,700 |143,000 |
|Saturn |9.539 |886 |1427 |75,000 |121,000 |
|Uranus |19.180 |1783 |2870 |29,000 |47,000 |
|Neptune |30.060 |2794 |4497 |28,900 |46,529 |
|Pluto |39.440 |3666 |5900 |~1500 |~2445 |
Step 1. Obtain a 4-meter length of adding machine paper and a meterstick from your instructor.
Step 2. Draw an "X" about 10 centimeters from one end of the adding machine paper and label it "Sun
Step 3. Using the mean distances of the planets from the Sun in miles presented in Table 1 and the following scale, determine their scaled distance from the sun. Record your answer in the Scaled Distance column of Table 2. Draw a small circle for each planet at its proper scale mile distance from the Sun. Use a different colored pencil for the Terrestrial and Jovian planets and write the name of the planet next to its position.
Scale:
1 millimeter = 1 million miles
1 centimeter = 10 million miles
1 meter = 1,000 million miles
Step 4. Draw and label the asteroids 258 million scale miles from the Sun.
Part 1: Distance and Spacing of the Planets
An examination of any scale-model solar system reveals that the distances from the Sun and the spacing between the planets appear to follow a regular pattern. Although many ancient astronomers were concerned with planetary distances and spacing, it was not until the mid-1700s that astronomers found a simple mathematical relation that described the arrangement of the planets known at the time.
Perhaps the best way to examine distance and spacing of the planets in the solar system is to use a scale model. Prepare a distance scale model of the solar system according to the following steps.
Part 2: Size of the Planets
The similarities in the diameters of the planets within each of the two groups and the contrast between the groups are perhaps the most obvious patterns in the solar system. The diameter of each planet is given in both miles and kilometers in Table 1.
To visually compare the relative sizes of the planets and Sun, complete the following steps using the unmarked side of your 4-meter length of adding machine paper.
Step 1. Determine the radius of each planet in kilometers by dividing its diameter (in kilometers) by 2. List your answers in the "Radius" column of Table 2.
Step 2. Use a scale of 1 cm = 2000 km. Determine the scale model radius of each planet and list your answer in the "Scaled Radius" column of Table 2.
Step 3. Draw an "X" about 10 cm from one end of the adding machine paper and label it "Starting point."
Step 4. Using the scaled radius in Table 2, begin at the starting point and mark the radius of each planet with a line on the paper. Use a different colored pencil for the Terrestrial and Jovian planets. Label each line with the planet's name.
Step 5. The diameter of the Sun is approximately 1,350,000 kilometers. Using the same scale as you used for the planets (1 cm = 2000 km), determine the scale model radius of the Sun. Mark the Sun's radius on the adding machine paper using a different colored pencil from the two planet groups. Label the line "Sun."
Table 2 Planetary radii with scale model equivalents.
|Object |Scaled |Radius |Scaled |
| |Distance |(km) |Radius |
| |(cm) | |( cm) |
|Sun | | | |
|Mercury | | | |
|Venus | | | |
|Earth | | | |
|Mars | | | |
|Jupiter | | | |
|Saturn | | | |
|Uranus | | | |
|Neptune | | | |
Questions: Part 1
1. What feature of the solar system separates the terrestrial plants from the Jovian planets?
2. Observe the scale model diagram and summarize the spacing for each of the two groups of planets.
3. Which planet(s) vary the most from the general pattern of spacing?
Questions: Part 2
4. Which is the largest of the terrestrial planets and what is its diameter?
5. Which is the smallest Jovian planet and what is its diameter?
6. Complete the following statement:
The smallest Jovian planet, , is ________ times larger than the largest terrestrial planet.
7. Write a general statement that compares the sizes of the terrestrial planets to those of the Jovian planets.
8. Complete the following statement:
The Sun is _______times larger than Earth and _______ times larger than Jupiter.
9. The diameter of Pluto is most like the diameters of the __________ planets.
-----------------------
Table 1 Planetary data.
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