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PIP’S STARHAVEN · ACTIVITY SHEET · CHILDREN

A Solar System number line

25 minutes · Long paper strip · Pencil · Ruler

Your investigation

  1. Draw a distance line using 1 centimeter for 1 astronomical unit (AU). Mark the Sun at zero.
  2. Mark these rounded average distances in AU: Mercury 0.4, Venus 0.7, Earth 1.0, Mars 1.5, Jupiter 5.2, Saturn 9.6, Uranus 19.2, Neptune 30.1.
  3. If your paper is too short, join strips or change every distance using the same scale.
  4. Use dots, not planet-sized circles, and label “average distances to scale; planet sizes not to scale.”

Think, draw, explain

Which region has wider average gaps, inner or outer planets?

At this scale, is Jupiter only one centimeter beyond Mars?

Compare your explanation with the grown-up answer guide after you have tried.