PV Gap

Armando Said:

What can I use to represent Saturn in a Solar System model?

We Answered:

If you shrunk down the solar system so that Earth is the size of a green pea, on this scale:

Mercury is a pepper corn seed
Venus is a sweetcorn kernal
Mars is a small peanut (with red shell)
Saturn is a hollowed out lemon with a CD glued to each half of it. It is is a squashed planet because it spins so fast so cut some of the lemon off so its not too tall!
Jupiter is an Orange
Uranus is a green painted ping pong ball
Neptune is a blue painted ping pong ball
Pluto is a rocksalt crystal

The sun would be the size of a big yellow space hopper at this scale!

Marion Said:

How can I make a 3-D solar system model without buying a kit?

We Answered:

Why don't you buy another kit so you can use the instructions, and then return it to the store when you are done ;)

Kelly Said:

How do I make a solar system model out of candy and other foods?

We Answered:

You will need to use two different scales, one for size of planets, and one for distances, as otherwise you will either spread out over miles or the planets will require a microscope to be seen.
Jupiter is eleven times the size of Earth, which in turn is 3.5 times the size of our Moon, and about 4 times the size of Pluto and Eris. Trouble is, though, the Sun is 110 times the size of Earth, and ten times the size of Jupiter. I suggest just an arc of the Sun to indicate its vast size.
Mercury--40% size of Earth
Venus--same size as Earth
Mars--half Earth
Saturn--8.5 times Earth
Uranus--4 times Earth
Neptune--4.2 times Earth

Natalie Said:

Where can I buy a solar system model?

We Answered:

Here--
http://www.worldglobes.com/search/index.…

or

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/…

Barbara Said:

How do I make a to scale 3d solar system model?

We Answered:

Here is a site where you can input a measurement for the Sun and it will scale everything to that measurement: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_…