Lesson 4 of 10 · Space
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🚀 StarbaseDwarf Planets and Pluto
Dwarf Planets and Pluto.
🎯 Your mission
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
⚡ The twist
The light you see now started its trip a long time ago.
Mind = Blown
🌌 If you could drive a car straight up at highway speed, you'd reach space in under an hour.
Make a hypothesis first
Guess: how big does that look from here vs. from there?
What You'll Learn
Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 because it has not cleared other objects out of its orbit. Dwarf planets such as Pluto, Ceres, and Eris orbit the sun but are much smaller than the eight main planets.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- ball (Earth)
- small ball (moon)
Safety First
- Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.
Steps
Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.
Build a scale model of the inner solar system using different-sized balls. Research the relative sizes and distances of the planets.
Compare the before and after states.
Write your conclusion: did the results match your hypothesis? What would you change next time?
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What keeps planets in orbit around the sun?
Where you see this in real life
GPS, weather forecasts, and the seasons all rely on this.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find a constellation in the sky. Look it up. Tell someone its story.
For the dinner table
“If you could visit any planet, which would you pick and why?”
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Dwarf Planets and Pluto
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
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