Patterns in the Solar System

Patterns in the Solar System offers five activities that let students explore and analyze patterns visible in the night sky. These patterns have let humans uncover important properties of the Earth, the Sun, and our solar system. 

Properties of Planet Earth 

Earth is our home planet. But how much do students know about it? Using a foam ball, a flashlight, and informational cards, students explore four key properties of Earth: its shape, rotation, tilted axis, and orbit around the Sun. Students are guided to understand the observations that prove that Earth has these properties. 

Modelling Planetary Systems 

Scientists used observations of the planets in our solar system to build a model that explains how planets organize around a star. Recent observations of exoplanets, planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, are challenging this model. In this activity, students work through a similar rhythm. First, students build a scale model of our solar system to identify patterns. Then, students see if their patterns apply to all planetary systems using recently discovered exoplanets. 

The Sun and Solar Activity 

Students discover the solar cycle by creating a collaborative graph spanning eight decades of sunspot counts. Using ceramic magnets and jars of iron filings, they model the magnetism around sunspots. Then, they apply what they have learned to understand how solar activity affects the Earth. 

Patterns in the Sky 

Humans have been observing and interpreting patterns in the sky for thousands of years. Four hundred years ago Galileo Galilei aimed his telescope at the sky and observed patterns that would challenge our understanding of the world. Students examine some of Galileo’s observations to assess which model of the solar system gives the best explanation for the observations. 

Solar System Math 

The ancient Greeks used basic geometry to calculate the size of Earth. Students follow in their footsteps and use geometry to determine the diameters of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, as well as the distances to the Moon and Sun.