How Big Is Jupiter?
Measure 1.4 mL of water (about
22 drops) into an empty 2 L bottle
to represent Earth. Use a full 2 L
bottle to represent Jupiter.
Lift each one.
Observe and Think How
big is Jupiter compared with
Earth? Using this scale, you
would need more than
nine hundred 2 L bottles
to represent the Sun. How big is
the Sun compared with Jupiter?
How Round Is an Orbit?
Tie a loop 10 cm long in a piece of string.
Place two thumbtacks 2 cm apart in the center
of a piece of paper. Loop the string around
the thumbtacks and use a pencil to draw
an oval the shape of Pluto’s orbit.
Remove one thumbtack.
The remaining thumbtack
represents the Sun.
Observe and Think How
would you describe the shape
of this orbit? How different is
it from a circle?
Internet Activity: Spacing
Go to ClassZone.com to take a virtual spaceflight
through the solar system. Examine distances
between planets as your
virtual spaceship travels
at a constant speed.
ClassZone.com
Back
Location:
Forward
Reload
Home
Images
Print
Security
Stop
http://www.classzone.com
Observe and Think
What do you notice about
the relative distances of
the planets?
NSTA
scilinks.org
The Solar System Code: MDL059
Chapter 19: Our Solar System 653