Pocket Solar System Activity - UAF Home

UAMN Virtual Family Day: Amazing EarthPocket Solar SystemMake a miniature model of Earth’s neighborhood!Our Solar System is made up of the Sun and all the smaller objects thatmove around it, including eight planets and many dwarf planets, moons,asteroids, and comets.Materials Needed:Paper, ruler, scissors, tape or glue, colored pencils or markers.Instructions:Step 1: Cut strips of paper about 7.5 cm(3 inches) wide. Tape or glue themtogether to make a strip one meter(39 inches) long.Step 2: Draw the edge of the sun onone end of the paper, and the KuiperBelt at the other end.Hint: Draw the edge of the sun as close to theend of the paper as you can. This will makethe following steps easier.Step 3: Follow the steps on the Folding Instructions sheet to add planets andasteroids. Try to predict where each one goes!Look at the What’s in the Solar System? sheet for pictures and descriptions ofeach one. For younger children, you can choose to draw all the objects, orjust a few.Step 4: Try adding in moons orbiting the planets, comets and asteroidsorbiting the sun, or spacecraft exploring the solar system. Be creative!Activity adapted from National Informal STEM Education stem-pocket-solar-system

UAMN Virtual Family Day: Amazing EarthPocket Solar System: Page 2Think and Discuss:Were the planets where you expectedthem to be? Did anything surprise you?How are the planets similar?How are they different?What is special or unique about Earth’splace in the Solar System?What do YOU want to know aboutthe Solar System?Image: NASA/JPL.The Habitable ZoneSizes and distances not to scale.Image: Cornell University.Earth is in the Sun's habitable zone (alsocalled the Goldilocks zone): the area arounda star where the temperature is just rightfor a planet to have liquid water. If Earthwere closer to the Sun, it would be so hotthat water would boil away. If Earth werefarther away, all its water would freeze intoice. Our planet is not too hot and not toocold; it’s just right!Since liquid water is a key ingredient for life as we know it, scientists thinkplanets in a star's habitable zone are a good starting place to search for lifebeyond Earth.Watch a video to discover more about the habitable ts-a-habitable-zone/

UAMN Virtual Family Day: Amazing EarthPocket Solar System: Folding InstructionsStep 1: Draw the edge of the Sunon one end of the paper, and theKuiper Belt at the other end.Step 2: Fold the paper in half.Unfold and drawthe planet Uranuson the crease.Step 3: Fold the paper in half, thenStep 4: Fold the sun to meetin half again. Unfold.Saturn. Unfold and draw Jupiter.Draw Saturn on the crease closestto the Sun. Draw Neptune on thecrease closest to the Kuiper Belt.Step 5: Fold the Sun to meetStep 6: Fold the Sun to meet theJupiter. Unfold and draw theAsteroid Belt.Asteroid Belt. Unfold and drawMars.Step 7: Fold the Sun to meet Mars. Fold this section in half again. Unfold;you should have three creases. Draw Mercury on the crease closest to theSun, Venus on the next one, and Earth on the one closest to Mars.Your Solar System is complete!Note: This model shows the planets lined up; in reality, theplanets are usually scattered around the Sun along their orbits.

UAMN Virtual Family Day: Amazing EarthWhat’s in the Solar System?The solar system is made up of eight planets and many other objects orbiting thesun. In addition to planets, there are dwarf planets, moons, comets, asteroids,dust, and gas, all influenced by the gravity of the Sun.The scale model you made shows how far away the planets and Sun would be if the entiresolar system were shrunk down! The model shows the planets lined up; in real life, the planetsare usually scattered around the Sun along their orbits.The Sun (also called Sol) is a star. There are lots of stars, but the Sun isthe closest one to Earth. It is the center of our solar system, and itsgravity holds the solar system together. The Sun's warmth and lightmakes life possible on Earth.Mercury is the closest planetto the Sun. It is the smallestplanet in the solar system:it's only a little bigger thanEarth's moon. Its surface iscovered in craters.Venus is the hottest planet.It has a thick atmosphere fullof carbon dioxide, and sulfuricacid clouds. Venus spins in theopposite direction than Earthdoes!Earth is our home planet.Water covers 70% of thesurface. The atmosphere hasoxygen for us to breathe, andit’s the only planet we knowof that supports life.Mars is a cold desert world. Itis half the size of Earth. Marsappears red because of rustyiron in the ground. Mars haspolar ice caps, volcanoes, andcanyons.The Asteroid Belt is an area between the orbits ofMars and Jupiter where there are lots of asteroids:rocky objects that orbit the Sun and are much smallerthan planets. While most asteroids are in the AsteroidBelt, they are found all over the solar system.Note: Images are not to scale. Photos and information from NASA.

UAMN Virtual Family Day: Amazing EarthWhat’s in the Solar System?Jupiter is the biggest planet inour solar system. It is a gasgiant, without a solid surface.It has a giant storm called theGreat Red Spot. Jupiter has atleast 79 moons!Saturn is known for itsbeautiful rings, made ofchunks of ice and rock. Saturnis very light; it would float inwater (if there was a bathtubbig enough)!Uranus is the only planet thatrotates on its side. Themethane in its atmospheremakes it appear blue. Uranusalso has rings, but they arefaint and hard to see.Neptune is the most distantplanet from the Sun. It ismade of a thick fog of water,ammonia, and methane overa solid core. It has a thick,windy atmosphere.The Kuiper (ky-purr) Belt is a ring of icy bodies outside ofNeptune’s orbit. Pluto is the most famous object in theKuiper Belt. Pluto is a dwarf planet; these objects are muchsmaller than the eight "regular" planets. There are four otherdwarf planets: Ceres, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea.PlutoHaumeaMoons, also known as natural satellites, orbit planets and asteroids. There aremore than 200 moons in our solar system. Moons come in many shapes, sizesand types.Comets are balls of frozen gases, rock and dust that orbit the Sun. As acomet gets closer to the Sun, some of the ice starts to melt and boil off,along with particles of dust. This forms a tail that stretches for millionsof miles.People have sent many spacecraft to study the solar system. There aresatellites orbiting planets and moons, rovers on the surface of Mars, andprobes flying to the edge of the solar system!Learn more about the solar system atspaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/solar-system/Note: Images are not to scale. Photos and information from NASA.

Amazing Earth. Jupiter. is the biggest planet in our solar system. It is a gas giant, without a solid surface. It has a giant storm called the Great Red Spot. Jupiter has at least 79 moons! Saturn . is known for its beautiful rings, made of chunks of ice and rock. Saturn is very light; it would float in water (if there was a bathtub big enough .