5th Grade Activity

Make a Scale Model of the Solar System

Create a Solar System scale model. Use the chart below to measure scale distances of the solar system. AU is Astronomical Units, which is the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

Items you will need:

A piece of string 4 meters long | A meter stick | Colored markers

Average Distances from the Sun

Planet Millions of Kilometers
AU
Scale - CM
Color - you choose
Mercury
58
.4
4
Venus
108
.7
7
Earth
150
1
10
Mars
228
2
20
Jupiter
778
5
50
Saturn
1429
10
100
Uranus
2871
19
190
Neptune
4500
30
300
Pluto
5900
39
390

 

Activity Procedure

1. Copy or print the chart

2. At on end of the string, tie some knots to make one large knot. This will represent the sun.

3. Measure the AU distance in CM (10 cm for each AU) for each planet and mark its spot. Note which color stands for which planet.

When you are done, you can observe the relative distances betwee the sun and all the planets.

Where would the asteroid belt be on your model?

 

Review this lesson - Click here