PV Gap

Deborah Said:

How do i build a mobile of the solar system with a 7yr old, that is easy but creative? need ideas??

We Answered:

I painted Styrofoam balls of different sizes for my two year old daughter. The only moon I included was ours and I attached it to the earth with a toothpick. (You could use those little crafty-puff-ball-thingies for the moons of other planets.) I made the rings of the ringed planets with poster board that I painted and cut into a circle. I also attached those with toothpicks. (She's two, she's not picky.)
I used metal florist wire to make hooks that I stuck directly into the balls and attatched them directly to the ceiling with thumbtacks.

Hope this helps. A 7 yr old would definitely enjoy the painting, etc. . . Good luck!

**The above mentioned technique with the ballons and paper strips is called paper mache.**

Curtis Said:

how do you make a solar system mobile?

We Answered:

mobile as in every planet moves? well if that's a case, there has to be something for the planets to orbit around-like we have the sun. I guess that's the main thing. i dunno how it really works on the highly technical side, though.

Carol Said:

What can i make my science solar system mobile with?

We Answered:

May want to try this-
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/…
Wally

Edgar Said:

Is the new planet that is past Pluto considered a planet in our solar system?

We Answered:

The short answer: no, probably not.

The slightly longer answer: objects as small as Pluto should not be called planets, but Pluto gets in on a grandfather clause because of tradition, etc.

The longer answer: There isn't a real scientific definition of where the boundry is between a planet and, say, a moon, or a Kuiper object. For most objects it's clear what to call them, but for others the classification is ambigious. The reason being, of course, that our classifications are (somewhat) arbitrary and the solar system is composed of a continuum of objects of different sizes, in different orbits, etc.

Pluto was called a planet when it was discovered because a 9th planet was expected. Percival Lowell spent a long time looking for such a planet which he predicted from orbital irregularities he calculated with Neptune and Uranus. But he never found what he was looking for. Clyde Tombaugh, a couple of years later, resumed the search and eventually discovered Pluto. However, Pluto is much too small and in the wrong place to be Lowell's suspected planet. Lowell was probably just wrong in his calculations.

Because a 9th planet was expected and because in 1930 little could be told of Pluto's physical characteristics, I don't think anyone seriously doubted whether or not it should be classified as a planet. It seemed obvious, at the time, that it was.

In the 1950s and 1960s astronmers began to postulate that comets orginated from a vast pool of objects in the extreme distant regions of the solar system. This lead to the hypothesis of the Oort cloud, and the "closer" Kuiper belt (that being 50 - 100 AU from the Sun).

It wasn't until the 1990s that a lot of Kuiper-esque objects were actually discovered. (I hedge on the classification, because some objects similar in diamter, etc., have been found inside the orbit of Pluto.)

If in 1930 Clyde Tombaugh had an inkling of something like a Kuiper belt he probably would not have assumed that Pluto was a planet. If Pluto was discovered today it also would (probably) not be considered a planet.

So basically, if we could re-do history Pluto would be "demoted." On the other hand, there have been generations of kids who learned the whole 9 planets bit. Because of the the International Astronomical Union - the international organization in charge of naming things - has *officially* declared Pluto a planet. A link to their announcement is below.

I suspect - and I am taking an educated guess - that the new objects in the outer solar system, even though slighly larger than Pluto - won't get "official" planet status.

Of course the reality is more complex, and nature doesn't always fit neatly into human classification schemes.

Bessie Said:

Solar system?

We Answered:

Supplies needed: A round piece of cardboard about 1 ft across (the cardboard from a frozen pizza works well)
Lots of colors of oak tag (or construction paper)
Scissors
Tape
String
Pencil, crayons, or markers
A compass (for making circles)


Find the center of the large cardboard circle by drawing a line from top to bottom and a line from right to left. Where these two lines meet is the center of the circle. This will be the position of the Sun.

Using a compass, draw the orbits of the 9 planets (draw circles around the center of the piece of cardboard).
The first 4 planets orbit relatively close to the Sun, then there is a gap (this is where the asteroids orbit). Then the last 5 planets orbit very far from the Sun.

Using an awl, the sharp point of scissors, or a large nail, punch a series of holes in the cardboard. First punch a hole in the center (this is where the Sun will hang). Then punch one hole somewhere on each circle (orbit); a planet will hang from each hole.
If you want an accurate picture of where the planets actually are today, click here.

Cut circles from oak tag to represent the Sun and each of the planets. Since the range in size of the Sun and the planets is far too large to represent accurately, just make the Sun the biggest. Make Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune a bit smaller than the Sun. Make the remainder of the planets much smaller. Saturn has beautiful rings.
Write the name of each planet on its back.

Tape a length of string to each planet (and the Sun).
Lace the other end of each string through the correct hole in the large cardboard circle (Mercury goes in the inner orbit, Venus goes in the second orbit, Earth goes in the third, etc.). Tape the end of the string to the top side of the cardboard.

After all the planets (and the Sun) are attached, adjust the length of the strings so that the planets (and Sun) all lie in a plane.

To hang your model, tie three pieces of string to the top of the cardboard - then tie these three together. Tie them to a longer string (from which you'll hang your model).
You now have a model of our solar system.