PV Gap

Arthur Said:

how to make a solar system using styrofoam balls for a grade 7 project?

We Answered:

Well...

You need several different sizes of the Styrofoam balls, some tempra paints, coat hangars, some monofilament fishing line (the clear kind), and somewhere to paint safely.

Go to www.nasa.gov and look at pictures of the planets, because you'll want to paint them to match.

You start with the Sun in the center - it should be painted canary yellow.

Mercury is dusty brown.
Venus is a mix of 80% white and 20% grey.
Earth is blue, brown.
Mars is several shades of reddish brown.
Jupiter is light yellow, brown and red.
Saturn is about the same as Jupiter - with the rings.
Uranus is blue (sky blue with a little white added), and rings.
Neptune is bluish-green.

Jupiter should be the largest ball aside from the Sun.
Mercury should be the smallest - use about the same size ball for the Moon that you do for Mercury.

Venus is just a little smaller than Earth, and just a little bigger than Mars.

Then you put them all together, suspending them on the clear string from the coat hangars or wood support.

Ed

Manuel Said:

What candy can you use to make a solar system,HELP, IMPORTANT!!!?

We Answered:

Gobstoppers (for the gas giants) and gumballs (for the smaller planets). Maybe some 'Nerds' for the asteroid belt.

Greg Said:

I have to make a solar system?

We Answered:

get something big bright and orange for the star, and use things like tennis balls and maltesers for planets lol, use onion rings or something for the rings around planets lol, hope this helps :L.

Floyd Said:

Im doing science homework and i need to make a solar system on a paper i need to put the planets distance from?

We Answered:

TRUE DIAMETERS (km)
Sun 1,392,000
Mercury 4879.4
Venus 12103.6
Earth 12752.34
Mars 6772.4
Jupiter 138346
Saturn 114632
Uranus 50532
Neptune 49104


SCALE DIAMETERS (mm)
Sun 0.086375464
Mercury 0.000302773
Venus 0.000751045
Earth 0.0007913
Mars 0.000420236
Jupiter 0.008584555
Saturn 0.007113069
Uranus 0.003135578
Neptune 0.003046969
Pluto 0.000148303

Distances in millimeters from sun at scale
279.4 mm = 11 inches = length of standard typing paper.

SCALE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN (mm)
Mercury 3.549998101
Venus 6.67094579
Earth 9.239166234
Mars 14.10052861
Jupiter 48.26241656
Saturn 88.90070915
Uranus 178.4570346
Neptune 279.4
Pluto 366.455297

Although Pluto is no longer classed as a planet, I added it's data, but not at a scale to fit the paper.
.

Dean Said:

My fifth grader has to make a solar system model with a moving part, any ideas?

We Answered:

I made one when I was a kid with craft rings and styrofoam balls. The balls would slide around the rings, and the rings were suspended on strings and would move as well.