The purpose of the Planet Walk was to determine the scale of the Solar System. We did this by figuring out the size of the planets in relation to each other, and the distances between the planets.
Our Sun (Sol) was nine inches in diameter.
1.) Our Mercury was .0314 inches in diameter and thirty one (31) ft. from the Sun.
2.) Our Jupiter was .9245 inches in diameter and four hundred and nineteen (419) ft. from the Sun.
3.) Our Neptune was .2937 inches in diameter and two thousand and four hundred and twenty four (2,424) ft. from the Sun.
Peter happened to have feet that were roughly twelve inches, so we used him to count out the feet between the planets.
One thing that I noticed later on, while video-taping was that the planets closer to the sun were closer together. As the planets got bigger (for the most part), the distances between them increased. So, in conclusion. Outer planets (typically bigger planets called, “Gas Giants”) are further from each other than the smaller terrestrial planets closer to the Sun.
I found the sizes of the planets interesting, to tell you the truth. I was enamored that the size of Earth was .0823 inches while Jupiter (being roughly an inch) and the Sun (being nine inches) towered over it.
I think the way our class worked out pretty well. We didn’t necessarily get the whole essence of the size of the planets but we got a pretty cool perspective on where they are in comparison to each other in the Universe.
While I liked the way we did it, I’d also like to show the scale of the planets and give the audience a feel for their size. Ironically, I can get this opportunity doing extra credit…
Simply Me 