Ever wonder exactly how far away the planets really are? Here’s the reason they usually don’t how the planets and their orbits to scale – they would need a sheet of paper nearly a mile long!
To really get the hang of how big and far away celestial objects really are, find a long stretch of road that you can mark off with chalk. We’ve provided approximate (average) orbital distances and sizes for building your own scale model of the solar system.
When building this model, start by marking off the location of the sun (you can use chalk or place the objects we have suggested below as placeholders for the locations). Are you ready to find out what’s out there? Then let’s get started.
Materials:
- measuring tape (the biggest one you have)
- tape or chalk to mark off the locations
- 2 grains of sand or white sugar
- 12″ beach ball
- 3 peppercorns
- golf or ping pong ball
- shooter-size marble
- 2 regular-size marbles
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