Solar System Scale


 What did you do in the lab? 

In the lab, we looked at the scale of our solar system. We took playdough and a tape measure to create an accurate scale of the sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. After doing this we saw how small and far planets actually are compared to each other and the sun. 

The big question: How big is our solar system?

What did you learn in Thursday's lecture? 

We learned about the seasons and how they occur due to the tilt of our axis. We also learned that the moon's rotation is identical to the rotation of the earth. Which means that the moon does rotate. The best explanation as to why the moon was created is that a giant mass the size of Mars hit the Earth, this also tipped us over causing us to have seasons. We now know that the Earth has gravity however it is 1/6 that of the Earth. The moon is a quarter the size of the Earth. People are always looking for new answers about the moon. The moon has layers, an outer layer that is light and rocky and then a molten layer that is below that. 

Textbook Questions

-What did you learn?

I learned why Pluto is not considered a planet. This is because to be considered a planet you must meet 3 requirements and Pluto only meets 2. The one that doesn't fit is that it doesn't have a gravitational dominance and it must clear the neighborhood which Pluto does not do. 

-What was most helpful?

I think something that was most helpful was the acronym to remember the order of the planets. I do not remember ever hearing this before and I have never been able to remember the order of the planets. 

-What do you need more information on?

Something I would like more information on is how we know what each planet is like. By this, I mean how do we know the first four are rocky planets and the last four are gaseous if we have not been to all of them? 

Questions/Comments/Concerns 

What is the best way to study shadow?




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