Observations and results
Can you see the Neptune peppercorn when you stand next to the sun? Were you surprised how far apart the planets were? Of course, the space between the planets is not totally empty. There are floating rocks called asteroids, many of which orbit around the sun in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The solar system is just one tiny part of our galaxy (which is just a tiny part of the universe). The nearest star to our sun is about 25 trillion miles (4.24 light-years) away. What about in the peppercorn-scale sun universe? It would be the equivalent of 36.6 miles (58.9 kilometers) away from your peppercorn-size sun. That's a long trip—even in a microscopic space shuttle.
Share your solar system model observations and results! Leave a comment below or share your photos and feedback on Scientific American's Facebook page.
Cleanup
Be sure to pick up all of the peppercorns (or whatever objects you used to mark the planets and sun).
More to explore
"8 Wonders of the Solar System" from Scientific American
"Hubble Spies Evidence of Seasons on Neptune" from Scientific American
Solar System Exploration for kids from NASA
Solar System Scale Model from Phrenopolis
What's Out There? A Book about Space by Lynn Wilson, ages 4–8
Don't Know Much about the Solar System by Kenneth C. Davis, ages 9–12
Up next…
Get the Iron out—of Your Breakfast Cereal
What you'll need
• Breakfast cereal that contains iron, such as fortified cornflakes (check the label to see how much iron each serving contains—the more the better!)
• Bowl and spoon (or mortar and pestle)
• Magnet (as strong as possible)
• White piece of paper
• Resealable zip-top bag (optional)
• Water (optional)
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9 Comments
Add CommentWhat happened to Pluto?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat about Pluto?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"heavyrunner" --> Pluto has since been demoted to a dwarf planet due to it's size, and is no longer considered one of our main planets. (Who knows why that change was deemed important, but apparently it was!)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=astronomers-relegate-plut
This is great. I am off to draw it in my driveway.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUsing Pluto could have been a great learning tool in scince class.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe reason elaborate ideologies have to be created about space is because the creation of space is not fully understood. The creation of space is a two part system. All things in the universe want to collapse and recoil and expand unless acted upon by another force. To deny this is to deny the creation of this universe. The collapsing force that created this universe has never ceased. It collapses one moment after the next each time creating a larger void to expand into creating more space.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMatter consumes the collapsing force which creates more space and creates gravity. This is why more space can hold less matter per space. Smaller spaces can hold more matter per space because they become a larger part that consumes the collapsing force as a whole.
Matter collapses but no longer collapses into itself and recoils to expand out into space like the last big bang it is held in check by black holes. The expansion and collapsing of matter bypass each other in each new moment. The collapsing force rotates as it collapses in. It is why all things spin. The collapsing force collapses in as a sphere and the frame of reference is at the equator. Heading into positive expanding time gives the right hand rule of thumb. Matter collapsing in the left hand rule of thumb on the other side of the equator on a collapsing sphere is pulled into a black hole.
Not expanding with the expansion force of the universe creates a density problem. Standing still because the consumption of space is greater than the expansion rate of space creates black holes.
Sorry I put the last post in the wrong place.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou have to believe "they" know how to measure across the expanse. Personally, having re-rendered literally thousands of NASA photos, I find their measurements and distances incredible when compared to surface features. I mean, they're off by a factor of THOUSANDS, but I'm in no position to ascertain true measurements myself. So I can't say much, just, Wow! what an imagination they have!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnother cool article...thanks...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEmilyCragg...have no idea what your referring to...we defintitely know the distances to the the planets in our solar system....the spaces probes pioneer and voyager have more than proved it....