Week 4: Scale Model Solar System

 1. What did you do in lab today? 


Thoughts and reflections: My immediate thought to the scale model was that I thought the planets were far away from each other but this was crazy to see in person how large the span of it was. Sculpting each planet helped me visualize their relative sizes and sparked conversations within my group about their characteristics. For example, we made Earth green because of the land, and Venus red because that's how it looks in pictures! This project helped make an abstract concept (space) feel more tangible. It challenged me to think critically about scale and proportions.

2. What was the big question? How does creating a scale model of our solar system help us understand the vast differences in size and distance? Why is it important for how we view Earth?

3. What did you learn in Thursday's discussion? 
Notes:

What we think VS what is real
- solar system is bobbing up and down due to the gravity of other stars 
- Living on this floating ball and if it is destroyed there is no planet B
- Sirius Black --> Werewolf --> Sirius star nicknamed "Dog Star"
- If the moon is on the eastern horizon, the sun would be on the western horizon if it was a full moon.

What was the "big bang"?
- an expansion not an explosion 
    - expansion when time and space was created 
- atomic structure was created
- prior to big bang, there was nothing 
- big expansion or inflation --> nothing was exploded
- 13.7 billion years ago there was nothing and nowhere
- subatomic particle inflated to unimaginably huge size in a fraction of a second
        
        Alternative Theories 
        - Steady-state universe --> continuous creation of matter
        - Eternal inflation --> inflation never stopped, multiverse 
        - oscillating universe --> cyclic model 
        - Other theories --> flat hologram, digital simulation

Origin of the Earth
- Created 4.65 billion years ago --> not in big bang
- Dust and debris -- most likely from a former star that exploded
- plane of ecliptic created planets

        Formation of the Earth
        - plane of ecliptic 
            - all planets and asteroid belt in the same plane
            - related to the disk
        - Our sun is a middle to small size sun and will last around 10 billion years

4. Read online textbook, chapter 4:
- What did you learn? 
  • Our solar system consists of 8 planets, rocky inner planets and gaseous outer planets
  • My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nutella --> acronym helps remember their order from the sun.
  • Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 because it doesn't meet the criterion of "clearing the neighborhood" around its orbit.
  • The moon's origin is theorized to be from a collision between early Earth and a protoplanet named Theia, which also caused Earth's axial tilt and seasons. 
  • The size and distance differences between planets are vast, with outer planets being significantly larger due to their ability to retain gaseous material.
- What was most helpful? 
  • The explanation of why Pluto is no longer considered a planet. It breaks down the three criteria for planetary status and why Pluto fails the third. 
  • The visual comparisons and measurements of planet sizes and distances help grasp the scale of our solar system.
  • The acronym for planet order is simple and great for students of all ages.
- What do you need more information on?
  • more detail on how gravity influences planetary formation.
  • The role of the Kuiper Belt and other dwarf planets in shaping our definition of a planet could be helpful. 
5. What questions, concerns, and/or comments do you have? Why don't we learn about the other stars like Pistol Star or other large stars? I love these lessons! It's so interesting. 

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