Scale Inner Solar System
Purpose
Creates a 1:10 billion scale model of the solar system using everyday objects, matching the Colorado Scale Model Solar System. Students pace out planetary distances in the lecture hall to viscerally experience how vast and empty the solar system truly is.
Figure 1:
Scale model objects representing planets: the large white sphere represents the Sun, marbles represent gas giants, and the tiny peppercorns represent rocky inner planets at 1:10 billion scale.
Figure 2:
Complete planetary scale model kit showing the Sun (light bulb) and various sized objects representing all planets, demonstrating dramatic size differences in the solar system.
Figure 3:
Size verification measurements of planet models showing how the rocky planets (represented by ball-point pen tips) are nearly invisible at this scale, emphasizing the microscopic nature of Earth relative to cosmic distances.
Equipment
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