Our solar system is a vast and seemingly endless expanse that would take centuries to explore on your own.
But today, you can explore the entirety of our solar system in just a few hours as you build your own solar system model! Check it out:
Materials
- Newspapers/ Plastic Tablecloth
- 1 ping pong ball
- 3 small styrofoam balls (Larger than the Ping pong ball)
- 2 Medium sized styrofoam balls
- 2 Large styrofoam balls
- Paper plate
- Paint/paint brushes (Optional)
- Markers (Optional)
- String
- Coat hanger
- Scissors
- Barbecue skewer
- Tap
How to Build Your Solar System Model
Step 1
Cover your workspace with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth.
Step 2
It’s time to start making some planets! Your first planet will be made from the ping pong ball because it is the smallest. Which planet do you think it is? …
That’s right: Mercury!
Mercury is the smallest of the 8 planets and also the closest to the sun.
Paint your Mercury planet grey and orange.
Did You Know: During the day, Mercury can reach surface temperatures of 430°C! That’s twice as hot as your oven!
What do you think causes it to get so hot?… Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, only 58 million kilometres! This close proximity to the sun makes Mercury one of the hottest places in our solar system.
Step 3
Next, move on to the second planet from the sun which will be represented by a small Styrofoam ball.
Can you guess what planet this is?
Venus!
This rocky planet is similar in size to Earth. Paint Venus orange and yellow.
STEM Q for You: Since Venus is further from the sun, do you think that the surface is warmer or cooler than that of Mercury?
Surprisingly, Venus is actually hotter than Mercury, with its surface temperature reaching 465°C!
This is because Venus has a much thicker atmosphere than Mercury, which contains the greenhouse gas Carbon Dioxide (CO2). CO2 traps in all the heat and keeps the planet burning hot.
Step 4
The next planet in line is a very unique planet within our solar system.
Any guesses as to what it might be? … Earth!
Using one of the small Styrofoam balls, try your best to paint or draw in all the continents and oceans as accurately as possible!
Step 5
What’s the next planet in line after Earth? Hint it’s also known as “The Red Planet”.
You guessed it! It’s Mars!
Since Mars is pretty close in size to Earth, you can use the final small Styrofoam ball.
Paint or colour Mars, (you guessed it)… Red.
STEM Q for You: If Mars is so similar to Earth, why aren’t there people living there?
While Mars is like Earth in many different ways, it has one distinct difference: the atmospheric compositions.
Mars’ atmosphere is much thinner and has a distinct lack of oxygen as well as an abundance of poisonous CO2, making it so humans can’t survive without space suits.
Step 6
The fifth planet from the sun is also the largest.
Which planet is it?
Jupiter!
Make your Jupiter by painting or colouring a large ball, orange and yellow.
If you want an extra challenge, you can add in the massive storm that travels across Jupiter, which is known as the Great Red Spot. This looks like a small red oval near the center of Jupiter.
Step 7
The planet after Jupiter is famous for having a special feature. A massive set of rings that encircle the planet.
Which planet is this?
Saturn!
Make Saturn by painting the other large ball the same colour as Jupiter.
Step 8
Saturn is a unique planet because of one of its prominent features: Its rings.
To make Saturn’s rings, cut a whole in the center of the paper plate, large enough for Saturn to fit inside. Then paint or colour the rings grey and tape Saturn in the center of the ring.
STEM Q for You: What are Saturn’s rings made of?
Saturn’s rings are made of billions of pieces of small ice and rock, pulled in by Saturn’s strong gravitational pull.
Step 9
The next planet in line got its name from the ancient Greek Deity of the Heavens.
Any idea which planet it might be?
Uranus, the baby blue gas planet.
To make Uranus, paint a medium-sized ball a light blue!
Step 10
You have reached the final planet in the solar system.
What is the planet furthest away from the sun in our solar system?
Neptune!
Neptune is very similar to Uranus in size and composition. So, to make it, you can use your last medium sized ball. Neptune is a deep blue colour so we can paint it that colour!
STEM Q for You: Most of the planets are a dull orange colour, except for Uranus and Neptune, why might that be?
Neptune and Uranus get their blue colour from the high concentration of the chemical compound CH4, or Methane, in the planet’s atmosphere, which give them a blue colour!
Step 11
With parental assistance, use the barbecue skewer to make a hole through the centre of each of the Styrofoam balls. *Remember that Mercury is a ping pong ball, not a Styrofoam ball!
Step 12
Cut 8 pieces of string of increasing length and tie them in increasing size to your coat hanger. Then, begin by taping the string to mercury and feeding it through the holes on the rest of your planets.
Step 13
Finally, tie a large knot at the bottom of the string to keep the planets in place. And there you go! You now have your own model Solar System!
What Makes Earth Habitable by Humans?
There are many reasons why we can survive on Earth, including all the proper ingredients for life like carbon and water, an insulating atmosphere to regulate the temperature, and a protective magnetic field to shield us from the sun’s harmful radiation.
Earth is also located in what scientist’s call “The Goldilocks Zone”, because if earth was a bit closer to the sun, we would all roast, and if we were slightly further away, we’d all freeze.
How Big is Our Solar System?
Our solar system is so massive, it resulted in a new form of measurement being created to make it easier, that being the Astronomical Unit (AU), which is the distance from the Earth to the sun, about 150 million kilometres.
Scientists have calculated that from one side of our solar system to the other is about 1921.56 AU, or about 144 billion Km!
Amazing, right?!
