The Illustrated World of Space Activity

The Illustrated World of Space

Traveling the Solar System

Have you ever thought about traveling in space? What planet in our solar system would you visit? How long would you stay? What sights would you see?

Solar System Planets></CENTER>
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You are going to take a field trip into space to visit a planet and convince
others to visit it, too. Pair up with a friend or form small travel groups. Choose
a favorite planet. Learn all you can about your planet. Then share your field
trip with the class. Start your adventure by visiting The Nine Planets Web site at
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http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/nineplanets.html

Research your planet with your partner or group. You can use reference books and the Internet to find out about the planet.
Use the Planet Profile Chart below to help you organize the information you are find.

Planet: _________________

Size

Distance from the Sun

Length of a year (How long does it take to orbit the Sun?)

Special features

Weather conditions

Number of Moons

Life?

Review your research. Find one or more interesting features about your planet. For example, Jupiter's Red Spot is a large storm spinning in a counter-clockwise direction. Decide whether or not the feature(s) might interest your classmates and make them want to visit the planet.
Create a poster that advertises your planet and promotes its interesting feature(s). Share it with the class and give a detailed explanation of the feature(s). Your poster and explanation should convince your classmates that this planet might be an interesting place to visit.
Visit NASA's Welcome to the Planets Web site at http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome.htm and take a field trip to your planet and learn more about it.
Work with the other travel groups to make a class chart comparing all the planets in the solar system to Earth. Your chart should include size, location, distance from the Sun, weather, moons, and other feature comparisons. Complete the chart and discuss the differences to Earth.

Home Connection

Go to the Moon-Watch Web site at http://www.moon-watch.com/ to see the phases of the Moon change on a daily basis. Make drawings or print out pictures of each phase of the Moon. Then observe the night sky twice a week for the next four weeks to see how the Moon changes phases. Match your drawings or printouts with all the phases you can see in the night sky.

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