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How to Design an Orbiting Model of the Solar System

The construction of a model solar system is a popular project for both junior and senior students. Building a replica of the solar system offers students the opportunity to learn not only about space, but to develop and practice their creative skills as well. Although very young children will require the assistance of a teacher or parent, older students will be capable of constructing the model on their own.

Things You'll Need

Large pieces of stiff cardboard
Compass
Large nail
Scissors
Color crayons
String

Instructions

- 1
  Use a compass to draw a circle with a 12-inch diameter on a piece of stiff cardboard. Cut this circle out of the cardboard sheet.
- 2
  Draw eight circles within the 12-inch diameter circle representing the orbits of the planets around the sun. Use a compass and draw the first four circles fairly close to the center of the circle. Leave a space of 2 inches, and draw the remaining four circles. The first four circles can be close to each other, and the last four circles can be close to each other.
- 3
  Use a sharp nail to make a hole in the center of the circle.
- 4
  Make a single hole on each of the nine circles. Make these holes at a different location on each circle.
- 5
  Use the compass to draw a circle with a 6-inch diameter on on another section of the remaining cardboard. This circle represents the sun. The difference in size between the sun and the planets is too large to represent with the necessary accuracy on a model of this nature. The Sun will be the largest circle. Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus will be slightly smaller and the remaining plants will be considerably smaller than Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Cut the sun out of the cardboard.
- 6
  Use the compass to draw four more circles on another piece of cardboard, each with a diameter of 4 inches. Cut each of these circles out of the cardboard. These circles represent Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
- 7
  Use the compass to draw four more circles on the remaining cardboard, each with a diameter of 1 1/2 inch. These circles represent the remaining planets, being Earth, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. Cut each of these planets out of the cardboard.
- 8
  Use colored crayons to color in each planet. Use a different color for each planet.
- 9
  Use the nail to make a single hole near the edge of each planet.
- 10
  Cut nine pieces of string of equal length, and tie a piece to the sun and to each of the eight planets.
- 11
  Tie the sun and each planet to the piece of stiff cardboard. Tie the sun in the middle. Tie the planets in the following sequence, beginning next to the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
- 12
  Suspend the circle of stiff card board from the ceiling.

Astronomy