Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Place the ball that represents the sun at the center of your solar system. The sun is larger than any of the planets in the solar system and should therefore be represented by the largest ball. For a 1:1-billion scale model, the sun ball should measure about 54 inches around. This may be large for a model, but is true to scale. Alternately, use a smaller-sized ball to keep the overall model size from becoming too large.
Arrange the remaining nine balls according to size to label them as each planet. Pluto should be the smallest ball, followed by Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter. If you want your model to an appoximate 1:1-billion scale, choose balls that are close to the proper sizes for the planets. Pluto should be approximately 0.09 inches; Mercury, 0.2 inches; Mars, 0.25 inches; Venus, 0.48 inches; Earth, 0.5 inches; Neptune, 1.9 inches; Uranus, 2 inches; Saturn, 4.7 inches; and Jupiter, 5.6 inches.
Cut out pieces of wire in nine different lengths to represent the varying distances from the sun. The specific lengths are unimportant for a model that is not to scale, though they should still be of graduated sizes. If you choose to create a scale model, cut the wires to the appropriate lengths using a scale of 1/2-inch per 150,000,000 kilometers. In a scale model, for Mercury, the wire should be 0.2 inches; Venus, 0.4 inches; Earth, 0.5 inches; Mars, 0.75 inches; Jupiter, 2.6 inches; Saturn, 4.75 inches; Uranus, 9.6 inches; Neptune, 15 inches; and Pluto, 19.75 inches. A model on this scale will be extremely large. If you want the model to be smaller and more portable, size the wire as desired but at a range in order to their distance from the sun.
Place the appropriate planet onto its corresponding wire: put Pluto on the end of the longest wire, and Mercury on the end of the shortest one.
Stick the pieces of wire into the foam ball that represents the sun, staggering them around the sun. Start with the smallest wire and work around to the longest wire, making sure the wires are far enough apart that the foam balls do not overlap, if possible. The correct order of the planets from closest to the sun to the furthest is Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.