Sorting the Solar System Whatʼs this activity about? Big Questions: • What types of objects are in our Solar
System? • Why do the definitions of the objects change?
Big Activities: • Using images of Solar System objects, start
discussions of the characteristics of asteroids, comets, planets, and moons.
• Practice scientific thinking by sorting objects into categories according to their common qualities.
Participants:
From the club: A minimum of one person. With larger groups, up to four presenters can participate.
Visitors: This activity is appropriate for families, the general public, and school groups ages 10 and up. With small groups, one set of cards can be used. Four sets are included for use in classrooms or larger groups. Also, a large set of objects is included in this manual. You may print them yourself, but it is recommended that you do this at a print shop. Printing them requires a lot of ink.
Duration:
Ten minutes, up to a half hour, depending on the depth of questions and conversation.
Topics Covered: • Review of the diversity of objects in our Solar System • How scientists use common characteristics to classify the world around us
Key
to S
ortin
g th
e So
lar
Syst
em C
ards
Obj
ect
Des
crip
tion
Size
(km
)Pi
ctur
e C
redi
ts
Bar
ring
er C
rate
r
Als
o kn
own
as M
eteo
r Cra
ter,
it is
loca
ted
in A
rizon
a, U
SA. C
reat
ed b
y th
e im
pact
of a
m
eteo
rite
abou
t 50,
000
year
s ago
, thi
s cra
ter w
as fo
rmed
bef
ore
hum
ans i
nhab
ited
the
Am
eric
as.
1.2
B.P
. Sno
wde
r
Cer
esC
eres
is th
e la
rges
t obj
ect i
n th
e Ast
eroi
d B
elt.
The
Inte
rnat
iona
l Ast
rono
mic
al U
nion
cl
assi
fies C
eres
as a
Dw
arf P
lane
t. It
is th
e ta
rget
of t
he D
awn
spac
ecra
ft in
201
5.
950
NA
SA, E
SA, J
. Par
ker
(Sw
RI)
et a
l.
Ear
thEa
rth is
the
third
pla
net f
rom
the
Sun
and
is th
e fif
th la
rges
t pla
net i
n th
e So
lar S
yste
m.
Abo
ut 7
1% o
f Ear
th's
surf
ace
is w
ater
, the
rem
aind
er c
onsi
sts o
f lan
d.
12,6
50Ta
ken
from
Apo
llo 1
7 in
19
72, c
redi
t NA
SA
Ear
th's
moo
n
The
moo
n is
the
fifth
larg
est s
atel
lite
in th
e So
lar S
yste
m. I
t is t
he o
nly
cele
stia
l bod
y on
w
hich
hum
ans h
ave
land
ed. A
lthou
gh it
app
ears
brig
ht in
the
sky,
it is
act
ually
as d
ark
as
coal
. 3,
500
NA
SA/J
PL/U
SGS
Eri
s
Eris
is a
Dw
arf P
lane
t with
a m
oon
calle
d D
ysno
mia
. It i
s mor
e m
assi
ve th
an P
luto
and
or
bits
the
Sun
thre
e tim
es fa
rther
. It w
as d
isco
vere
d in
200
5 an
d ca
used
a st
ir af
ter i
nitia
lly
bein
g de
scrib
ed a
s the
10t
h pl
anet
.2,
600
NA
SA/E
SA/M
. Bro
wn
Ero
s
Eros
was
the
first
nea
r-Ear
th a
ster
oid
disc
over
ed. I
t is a
lso
one
of th
e la
rges
t. Th
e pr
obe
NEA
R S
hoem
aker
land
ed o
n th
is a
ster
oid
in 2
001.
Ero
s orb
its b
etw
een
Earth
and
Jupi
ter,
cros
sing
Mar
s's o
rbit.
34
NA
SA/J
PL/J
HU
APL
Gas
pra
Gas
pra
is a
n as
tero
id th
at o
rbits
the
inne
r edg
e of
the
mai
n A
ster
oid
Bel
t. Th
e G
alile
o sp
acec
raft
flew
by
Gas
pra
on it
s way
to Ju
pite
r.18
NA
SA/J
PL/U
SGS
Hal
e-B
opp
Hal
e-B
opp
was
one
of t
he b
right
est a
nd m
ost w
idel
y vi
ewed
com
ets o
f the
20t
h ce
ntur
y. It
ca
me
into
the
inne
r Sol
ar S
yste
m in
199
7 an
d ha
s an
orbi
tal p
erio
d of
ove
r 4,0
00 y
ears
.1,
000,
000
E. K
olm
hofe
r, H
. Raa
b;
Joha
nnes
-Kep
ler-
Obs
erva
tory
Hob
a
The
Hob
a m
eteo
rite
is th
e la
rges
t kno
wn
met
eorit
e on
Ear
th. I
t lan
ded
here
abo
ut 8
0,00
0 ye
ars a
go in
wha
t is n
ow N
amib
ia. H
oba
wei
ghs o
ver 6
0 to
ns a
nd is
the
mos
t mas
sive
pie
ce
of n
atur
ally
-occ
urrin
g iro
n on
Ear
th's
surf
ace.
0.00
3Pa
trick
Gira
ud
Iape
tus
Iape
tus i
s the
third
larg
est m
oon
of S
atur
n. It
has
an
equa
toria
l rid
ge th
at m
akes
it lo
ok a
bit
like
a w
alnu
t, as
wel
l as a
ligh
t and
a d
ark
side
. Ast
rono
mer
s thi
nk th
at th
e da
rk si
de is
co
vere
d w
ith a
thin
laye
r of r
esid
ue fr
om th
e ic
y su
rfac
e su
blim
atin
g.1,
500
NA
SA/J
PL/S
pace
Sci
ence
In
stitu
te
Ida
and
Dac
tyl
Ida
is a
mai
n be
lt as
tero
id a
nd th
e fir
st a
ster
oid
foun
d to
hav
e a
moo
n, D
acty
l. It
was
im
aged
by
the
Gal
ileo
spac
ecra
ft on
its w
ay to
Jupi
ter.
15N
ASA
/JPL
Itok
awa
Ast
eroi
d Ito
kaw
a cr
osse
s the
orb
its o
f bot
h M
ars a
nd E
arth
. It i
s a ru
bble
pile
of r
ocks
. In
2005
, the
Hay
abus
a pr
obe
land
ed o
n Ito
kaw
a to
col
lect
sam
ples
.0.
5IS
AS,
JAX
A
Jupi
ter
Jupi
ter i
s the
larg
est p
lane
t in
the
Sola
r Sys
tem
, mor
e m
assi
ve th
an a
ll th
e ot
her p
lane
ts
com
bine
d. T
his g
as g
iant
has
bee
n ex
plor
ed b
y m
any
spac
ecra
ft, n
otab
ly th
e G
alile
o or
bite
r. It
has f
our l
arge
moo
ns a
nd d
ozen
s of s
mal
ler m
oons
.70
,000
NA
SA/J
PL/U
nive
rsity
of
Ariz
ona
Nig
ht S
ky N
etw
ork
Res
ourc
esYo
u ca
n pr
int
your
ow
n ca
rds
here
: ht
tp:/
/nig
htsk
y.jp
l.nas
a.go
v/do
wnl
oad-
view
.cfm
?Doc
_ID
=45
9
Key
to S
ortin
g th
e So
lar
Syst
em C
ards
Obj
ect
Des
crip
tion
Size
(km
)Pi
ctur
e C
redi
ts
Mar
sM
ars i
s the
four
th p
lane
t fro
m th
e Su
n. Ir
on o
xide
giv
es it
a re
ddis
h ap
pear
ance
. It h
as p
olar
ic
e ca
ps a
nd a
ver
y th
in a
tmos
pher
e. T
wo
tiny
moo
ns m
ight
be
capt
ured
ast
eroi
ds.
6,80
0N
ASA
Met
eor
Smal
l pie
ces o
f ast
eroi
ds o
r com
ets c
ollid
e w
ith E
arth
's at
mos
pher
e to
cre
ate
met
eors
. The
co
mpr
esse
d ai
r in
fron
t of t
he ro
ck h
eats
up,
cau
sing
it to
glo
w a
nd le
ave
a tra
il of
ioni
zed
gas.
0.00
001
Chu
ck H
unt
Met
eori
te
Mos
t met
eorit
es a
re p
iece
s of t
he A
ster
oid
Bel
t tha
t lan
d on
Ear
th's
surf
ace.
Ove
r 90%
of
met
eorit
es a
re c
onsi
dere
d st
ony
met
eorit
es. A
bout
5%
are
iron
met
eorit
es. B
oth
type
s co
ntai
n a
sign
ifica
nt a
bout
of i
ron.
0.00
1D
r. Sv
end
Buh
l
ww
w.m
eteo
rite-
reco
n.co
m
Phob
os
Phob
os is
the
larg
est m
oon
of M
ars,
but s
till q
uite
smal
l. It
is li
kely
a c
aptu
red
aste
roid
and
w
ill b
reak
up
and
cras
h in
to M
ars i
n th
e ne
xt 4
0 m
illio
n ye
ars.
11
NA
SA/J
PL-
Cal
tech
/Uni
vers
ity o
f A
rizon
a
Plut
o an
d C
haro
n
Plut
o is
the
2nd
larg
est d
war
f pla
net i
n th
e So
lar S
yste
m (a
fter E
ris).
It ha
s a la
rge
moo
n C
haro
n an
d tw
o sm
alle
r moo
ns, N
ix a
nd H
ydra
. Plu
to a
nd C
haro
n ar
e so
met
imes
trea
ted
as
a bi
nary
syst
em si
nce
thei
r cen
ter o
f gra
vity
is b
etw
een
the
two.
2,30
0ES
A/E
SO/N
ASA
Satu
rn
Satu
rn is
the
seco
nd la
rges
t pla
net i
n th
e So
lar S
yste
m. I
t is m
ade
of g
as a
nd h
as v
ery
thin
ic
y rin
gs. I
t als
o ha
s doz
ens o
f moo
ns. T
he C
assi
ni-H
uyge
ns sp
acec
raft
has b
een
orbi
ting
Satu
rn si
nce
2004
.12
0,00
0N
ASA
/JPL
/Spa
ce S
cien
ce
Inst
itute
Shoe
mak
er-L
evy
9
Com
et S
hoem
aker
-Lev
y 9
prov
ided
the
first
dire
ct o
bser
vatio
n of
the
colli
sion
of
extra
terr
estri
al so
lar s
yste
m o
bjec
ts. I
t bro
ke in
to m
any
frag
men
ts, c
alle
d th
e "S
tring
of
Pear
ls,"
and
impa
cted
Jupi
ter i
n 19
94.
1N
ASA
/HST
Sun
The
Sun
is th
e st
ar a
t the
cen
ter o
f our
Sol
ar S
yste
m, a
bout
150
mill
ion
km fr
om E
arth
. It
cont
ains
99.
9% o
f all
the
mas
s in
our S
olar
Sys
tem
. It t
rave
ls o
nce
arou
nd th
e M
ilky
Way
G
alax
y in
abo
ut 2
50 m
illio
n ye
ars.
1,40
0,00
0ES
A/N
ASA
/SO
HO
Tita
n
Tita
n is
the
larg
est m
oon
of S
atur
n, c
ompr
isin
g 96
% o
f the
mas
s of a
ll Sa
turn
's m
oons
co
mbi
ned.
It is
a c
old
wor
ld w
ith a
thic
k ni
troge
n at
mos
pher
e an
d liq
uid
met
hane
lake
s on
its su
rfac
e. T
he H
uyge
ns p
robe
land
ed o
n its
surf
ace
in 2
005
and
took
pic
ture
s of i
cy
cond
ition
s.5,
150
N
ASA
/JPL
/Spa
ce
Scie
nce
Inst
itute
Vic
tori
a C
rate
r
This
impa
ct c
rate
r nea
r the
equ
ator
of M
ars w
as v
isite
d by
the
Mar
s Exp
lora
tion
Rov
er
Opportunity
. The
scal
lope
d ed
ges o
f the
cra
ter a
re c
ause
d by
ero
sion
. Alth
ough
Mar
s has
ve
ry li
ttle
atm
osph
ere,
it d
oes h
ave
dust
stor
ms.
0.75
NA
SA/J
PL-
Cal
tech
/Uni
vers
ity o
f A
rizon
a/C
orne
ll/O
hio
Stat
e U
nive
rsity
Wild
2
Com
et W
ild 2
is o
ffici
ally
nam
ed 8
1P/W
ild. I
t onc
e or
bite
d be
yond
Jupi
ter b
ut g
ot to
o cl
ose
to th
e gi
ant p
lane
t in
1974
and
was
tugg
ed in
to a
smal
ler o
rbit
betw
een
Jupi
ter a
nd M
ars.
The
Star
dust
sam
ple
retu
rn m
issi
on to
ok p
ictu
res a
nd c
aptu
red
som
e of
the
com
et's
com
a in
20
04.
4N
ASA
/JPL
-Cal
tech
Nig
ht S
ky N
etw
ork
Res
ourc
esYo
u ca
n pr
int
your
ow
n ca
rds
here
: ht
tp:/
/nig
htsk
y.jp
l.nas
a.go
v/do
wnl
oad-
view
.cfm
?Doc
_ID
=45
9
Helpful Hints Common misconceptions addressed by these resources:
• The Solar System contains more than one star • The planets are the only things in our Solar System • Science is a rigid set of facts to be memorized
Other Games: Sort It: With a group of 20+, give each person a card and ask them to sort themselves by size, distance from the Sun, common materials, alphabetically, or shape. There may be more than one way to sort. All reasonable attempts should be accepted. With smaller groups, each person (or group of up to 3 people) gets their own deck to answer the same questions. The first group to sort them correctly wins. Allow each group to finish and hold their hand up when they're done. Once they raise their hand, they can't change their order. If the first group has anything out of order, go to the second, and so forth. 20 Questions: Have the presenter pick an object but don't tell the visitors. Let the visitors take turns asking yes/no questions until they guess the object. The person who guesses correctly gets to pick the next object. Give time during games and between rounds for visitors to look at the backs of the cards.
Background Information This activity was adapted from a classroom activity originally developed by Anna Hurst Schmitt for the Teacher's Newsletter Universe in the Classroom: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/70/pluto.html - 10 For a history of the definition of a planet, see these websites: http://www2.ess.ucla.edu/~jlm/epo/planet/planet.html http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/70/pluto.html http://www6.cet.edu/dawn/multimedia/makeplanet.asp
Detailed Activity Description
Sorting Our Solar System Misconception Tip: Many people don't understand the difference between Solar System, Galaxy and Universe. Here is a chance to talk at length about the smallest of these scales. Presentation Tips: These cards can be used to illustrate many points. The activity described here is one example, but you may find others that work in different situations. You can also find other ideas in the "Helpful Hints" section. Using more than one deck and breaking visitors into small groups can be interesting because they see that there are different ways to categorize the same objects. If you would like to use more than one set of cards, it is recommended that you print them on various color card stock. The individual sets get easily combined into a single pile if they are all one color. Before you get started: Remove the Ceres card from the deck and put in your pocket. You will bring this out later.
Leaderʼs Role Participantsʼ Role
(Anticipated) To say: What kinds of things do we find in our Solar System? Ahh! How many stars are there in our Solar System? There is actually only one star in our Solar System. The term "Solar System" refers just to our own star, the Sun and everything orbiting it. That includes planets, like you said. What else is in the Solar System that's not here on Earth? To do: Bring out all of the Solar System Cards, except for Ceres. To say: Great! Take a look at this. I've got pictures here that represent a sample of the different kinds of objects found in our Solar System. Now, you can't tell how big each object is just from the picture. Some pictures are taken close up and others from far away. You'll want to check the backs of the cards to see how big each object is. What else does the back of the card tell us? To do: Pick up one of the cards (in the following example, we are using Gaspra) To say: Scientists sort things by their physical characteristics. What are some characteristics of this object? Can you describe what it looks like?
Planets, stars, people, airplanes Billions and billions Comets, moons, asteroids Where it is, what it's made of, how big it is It's lumpy. And brown, and has craters
Leaderʼs Role Participantsʼ Role (Anticipated)
To say: Great! We also know from the information on the back that it's as big as a city and that it orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. These are characteristics too. Now it's your turn to be the scientist. Work together to sort these objects into some categories using their characteristics. Get creative! You get to choose the categories.
Participants sort the cards into various groups.
Presentation Tip: If you are working with a large group, give each person a card and have them sort themselves into categories. This can be very fun and collaborative! To say: There are no limits to the number of categories you can have. But think about the characteristics that objects in each of your categories have. Tell me about the categories you picked. Did any of the objects fit into more than one category? Tell me why you decided on the category you put them in. Okay, now where would this object fit? To do: Hand the group the Ceres card. To say: What characteristics does it share with that group? Could it fit in more than one group? (Extension) Could you refine your category definitions so that nothing fits in more than one category?
Describe groups Usually they do Put it in one of the categories Sometimes the groups are flexible enough
Leaderʼs Role Participantsʼ Role (Anticipated)
To say: This is great! You are being real scientists. This is exactly what biologists, chemists, geologists, and astronomers do. And as new bacteria or birds or fossils are found, they use their knowledge of what has already been discovered to help them think about this new object. That's exactly what happened when Eris was discovered. Eris is another Pluto-sized object that's also orbiting way out past Neptune. And many more objects are being found out there all the time. Sometimes new discoveries even cause the definitions to change! The definition of a planet changed in 2006 and a whole new category was created: dwarf planet. That category includes both Ceres and Pluto. (If before an observing evening) Can you see any of these categories in the sky right now? Actually, do you see that bright star-like light over there? Well, it's not a star at all. That's Jupiter! Which category does that fit onto?
Sun or Moon or none
Materials
What materials from the ToolKit do I need? In the activity bag: At least one set of Solar System Cards (4 sets included in 2 decks)
What must I supply? Table or flat surface for organizing the cards, unless you have a big group
that can hold one card each
Where do I get additional materials?
You can order additional sets, while supplies last, from the Night Sky Network. For more information, send an email to: [email protected] To make additional copies of the cards, just print the following five pages in color, one-sided on card stock (or other thick paper). Cut each page into 3 strips so that the image and description stay together. Fold each strip in half to make two-sided cards. You can paste them with glue or tape around the edges. For large groups where each person will hold a single card, you may want to print the large size cards. In that case, simply fold them in half and glue them together, as shown. This activity can be done with any set of images in any size. The Hubble Site and the NASA Image archive have a wealth of pictures of Solar System objects.
• http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/ • http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/
Where could I use this activity?
What do I need to do before I use this activity? What materials from the ToolKit are
needed for this activity? What do I need to supply to run this
activity that is not included in the kit? Preparation and Set Up
At least one set of Sorting the Solar System Cards. Four sets are included for use with larger groups.
A table or flat surface is preferred. Remove the Ceres card from the deck(s). These will be used later.
Classroom ACTIVITY Star Party
Pre-Star Party –
Outdoors
Pre-Star Party –Indoors
Girl Scouts / Youth Group
Meeting K-4 5-8 9-
12
Club Mtg
Gen Public Presentation
(Seated)
Gen Public Presentation (Interactive)
Sorting the Solar System
√ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
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