lab 1

Lab 1: Scale of the Solar System Materials: Roll of toilet paper, printer tape, or any long strip of paper (even if you connect several pieces together). Colored markers or pencils (at least two colors) Measuring tape, ruler, or meter stick (You will be measuring in metric – if you don’t have a meter stick, most carpenter tapes (the metal, retractable tapes) or tailor/sewing tapes have metric markings. These are items which many households have.) Submit: 1. This lab sheet (with steps 6, 7, the table, and answered Questions from the end of the lab) 2. Both sets of selfies. Your face must be visible in at least one image you submit. (You can paste .jpg files of your selfie images into a .docx or pdf file before submission.) [If no selfies are submitted, a zero will be recorded for the lab.] Procedure: 1. Unroll your paper until you have a length that is about equal to your “wingspan” (the length from fingertips to fingertips when you spread your arms apart). 2. On one end of the strip, draw and label the Sun. On the other end, draw and label Pluto. Remember that Pluto is no longer considered a major planet, but it is at the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt. 3. In between the Sun and Pluto, draw and label where you think the rest of the planet orbits are. Also place the asteroid belt. In order to do this, think about the relative distances, or spacing, between the planets. 4. Once you are finished with your estimated positions, take a selfie with your “Solar System”. At least two images will be required here in order to show the entire strip of paper. Please make sure that I will be able to see the details of your estimates (it is fine if I have to zoom in, just make sure it isn’t blurry!). [If the required selfies are not submitted, a zero will be recorded for the lab.] 5. Use the data table to convert the actual distances between the planets to positions on your strip of paper.

As you can see in the table, the distance between Pluto and the Sun is 5.91 X 10 9 kilometers. Measure the length of your strip in centimeters (between the Sun and Pluto). For your conversions, you will use the scale factor: ( lengthof your stripof paper ∈ centimeters ) ( 5.91 × 10 9 kilometers ) Tip: Make sure you pay attention to the parentheses in the conversion fraction! 6. Record the length of your strip of paper here:_____91.44 cm____________________ 7. Show your scale factor fraction and it’s solution (in scientific notation) here:______91.44cm/5.91*10^9__1.54720812*10^-8________________________ 8. As you calculate the scaled distances for the planets on your strip, enter that value in the table. (This value does not need to be in scientific notation.) To see what the scaled distance between the Sun and Mercury is, then you would calculate ( Your Scale Factor ) × ( 5.83 X 10 7 km ) = Mercury Scaled Distance Do this for each line in the table, multiplying the Semi-major axis value by Your Scale Factor. Object Semi-major axis (km) Scaled Distance Calculated (cm) Sun ----------- ----------- Mercury 5.83 x 10 7 0.90202233 Venus 1.08 x 10 8 1.67098476 Earth 1.50 x 10 8 2.32081218 Mars 2.27 x 10 8 3.51216243 Asteroid Belt (inner edge) 3.28 X 10 8 5.0748263 Asteroid Belt (outer edge) 4.77 X 10 8 7.38018273 Jupiter 7.78 x 10 8 12.03727917 Saturn 1.43 x 10 9 22.12507611 Uranus 2.87 x 10 9 44.40487304 Neptune 4.50 x 10 9 6.96243654 Pluto 5.91 x 10 9 91.438

Uranus Neptune The outer planets are often referred to as gas giants because they are primarily composed of gas and lack solid surfaces. They are located farther from the Sun and are much larger than the inner planets. The outer planets are known for their extensive atmospheres and ring systems. The "split" between the inner and outer planets occurs at the asteroid belt, which is a region in the solar system located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This asteroid belt is where most asteroids are found and serves as a demarcation line between the inner, rocky planets and the outer, gas giants. The asteroid belt separates the terrestrial planets from the gas giants in our solar system. 3. Some of the planets much further out than Earth are brighter in Earth’s night sky than planets closer to Earth. What could that tell us about those brighter outer planets? when some outer planets are brighter in Earth's night sky than closer, inner planets, it generally indicates that they have a combination of these factors working in their favor. Their larger size, combined with their distance from Earth, phase, and reflectivity, all contribute to their increased brightness when observed from our vantage point