Do you know how far apart the planets really are? Most pictures of the solar system show the planets close together. A scale model on a sidewalk reveals the true distances.
You shrink the entire solar system down to a size that fits along a street or sidewalk. Each planet is placed at the correct scaled distance from the Sun.
The result is surprising. The inner planets cluster near the start, but the outer planets spread far apart. Walking the full model gives you a feel for just how much empty space fills our solar system.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that by creating a scale model of the solar system on the sidewalk, you can understand the vast distances between planets.
Most pictures of the solar system show the planets close together. A scale model drawn on a sidewalk tells a different story. You shrink the entire solar system down to a size that fits along a street, placing each planet at the correct scaled distance from the Sun. The inner planets cluster near the start, but the outer planets spread surprisingly far apart. Walking the full model gives you a feel for just how much empty space fills our solar system.
Most pictures of the solar system show the planets crowded together, but that misleads — scale models can shrink distances, not just sizes. In a sidewalk model, each planet is placed at the correct scaled distance from the Sun. The inner planets cluster near the start, while the outer planets spread so far apart that the true emptiness of the solar system becomes impossible to ignore.
Method & Materials
You will calculate the scale distances from the Sun to each planet, and draw them with chalk on the sidewalk. If you want, you can also draw the planets to scale so that they are the correct size in relation to one another.
You will need sidewalk chalk, a measuring tape, and a calculator to calculate the distances between planets.
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Walking through a scale model of the solar system is a great way to visualize the vast distances and sizes of planets. One observation that stands out is how tiny Earth seems compared to giant Jupiter!
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it allows students to explore the vastness of our solar system in a hands-on way. It also helps them understand how scientists use astronomical units to measure distances in space.
Also Consider
Instead of drawing the planets in a straight line, draw them in their correct positions around the Sun to create an accurate model of the solar system. Use different materials such as paper or cardboard cutouts to create a 3D model of the solar system instead of drawing it on the sidewalk.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.
