Modelling the Solar System & Beyond

Using the scale 1 m = 1 000 000 km, calculate the representative distances between the planets and the Sun using the chart on page 293 in your textbook.

Plot these distances on the maps below by using the scale in bottom left corner of the map.

1. If the Sun was located at Glenforest, where would the terrestrial planets in the Solar System (Mercury – Mars) be located on this map?

2. Use a compass to draw the partial orbits of these planets.

This map has been zoomed out to accommodate the larger distances to the gas giants. (Note the Scale Change!)

1. Using the same steps as the previous page plot the locations of the gas giant planets in the Solar System(Jupiter – Neptune).

2. Use a compass to draw the partial orbits of these planets.

The closest star(s) to the Solar System, the Alpha Centauri Binary Star System is 4.4 light years away.Suppose we are using the same scale (1 m = 1 000 000 km), how far away from Glenforest in metres would Alpha Centauri be?

41, 500,000,000,000 kilometres (too far for any map, we need a new scale!)

Using a different scale of 1 km = 1 lightyearIf the Solar System was located at Glenforest, where would the follow objects be located on the map below?

1. The closest star(s) to the Solar System, the Alpha Centauri Binary Star System (4.4 ly)o ~1.2 cm away

2. Sirius, the brightest star in our night sky (8.6 ly)o ~2.3 cm away

3. Vega, the brightest star in the summer night sky (27 ly)o ~7.3 cm away

Homework

Use Google maps to locate Polaris, our pole star, which is 430 light years away from the Solar System. If you use the same scale as above of 1 km = 1 lightyear, how far away would it be from Glenforest?

~430 kmIf you were to plot it on a map of North America, which state in the United States would it be in?

~Ohio/PennsylvaniaThe closest galaxy to the Solar System, the Andromeda Galaxy is 2 200 000 lightyears away. Using our scale, how far away would Andromeda be in km?

2 200 000 kmCompare that to the ACTUAL distance between the Earth and the Moon.

384 400 km >5 times the distance to the Moon!