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STARWADERS Portable Solar System Model 

 

 v1-20718 

Page

21

 

4.14 

Solar Eclipse 

Solar and Lunar eclipses can also be demonstrated by taking the 
Moon (the tiny polystyrene ball) and moving it around the Earth by 
hand.  

4.15 

Other Solar System Phenomena 

The model can be used to demonstrate many configurations and 
movements of the solar system. Another example is the movement 
of Jupiter’s moons. Ways to demonstrate further phenomena will be 
added to the 

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Содержание v1-20718

Страница 1: ...Portable Solar System Model Instruction Manual v1 20718...

Страница 2: ...the Model 7 4 Using the Model 9 4 1 Setting Up 9 4 2 The View from the Top or the Bottom 10 4 3 Orientation 10 4 4 Mimicking Sunset 11 4 5 Planet Positions 13 4 6 Early Evening Planet Positions 14 4 7...

Страница 3: ...718 Page3 4 15 Other Solar System Phenomena 21 5 Packing Away 22 6 A Short History of the PSSM 23 6 1 The Value of Understanding 23 6 2 Models 23 6 3 Traveling 24 Version History V1 20714 Introduction...

Страница 4: ...w to use it to explain why we see the planets where they appear in the sky 1 1 The Structure of this Booklet Following this introductory preface is a general description of the model Thereafter follow...

Страница 5: ...the period at the end of this sentence There is a LOT of Space out there 2 1 Cutouts On the grey stiff board supplied with the model are cutouts of a rotation ring and the rings of Saturn See the ins...

Страница 6: ...ool child with a little knowledge to identify them easily The planets each have a slot cut in one half of the sphere allowing them to be mounted onto the hoop 2 3 The Sun The Sun is made from a yellow...

Страница 7: ...build the tripod frame and attach the orbit hoops Show them the planets and tell them to get on with building the Solar System This activity provokes lively argument amongst the children as they put t...

Страница 8: ...without sliding off the base and legs It also ensures that the upright does not slide all the way through the base onto the ground Fit the upper upright into the top of the lower upright Fit the axis...

Страница 9: ...Sun into the neck on the front of the hub Mount the planets anywhere on the correct hoop Fit the set of rings onto Saturn An artificial horizon is included in the kit It can also be used as a pointer...

Страница 10: ...le idea behind this Solar System model is to help viewers to relate their horizontal feet on the ground position on Earth to the orbits of the planets out in space The frame is tilted so that its plan...

Страница 11: ...ace of the model Earth will see their plastic Sun in the west The relative orientations of the real Earth and Sun are now the same as the relative orientations of the model Earth and Sun The little hu...

Страница 12: ...model horizon They can easily see that the real Sun and the model Sun are disappearing below the horizon Put some action into the observation and keeping the horizon at a tangent to the Earth rotate t...

Страница 13: ...have your own preferred astronomy program to do this for you but in case not go to www heavens above com and scroll down to the Solar System Chart link to see the positions as shown in this picture Be...

Страница 14: ...rth observer looks to the West along the horizon the Sun has dipped below the horizon Looking to the East Jupiter has just risen Uranus will rise soon and Neptune is about 20 above that horizon As the...

Страница 15: ...RWADERS Portable Solar System Model v1 20718 Page15 4 7 9pm Planet Positions Three hours after sunset the horizon shows that Jupiter and Neptune are nearly overhead Uranus has just risen Mercury has s...

Страница 16: ...Note the special feature of the PSSM that to avoid the disconcerting effects of standing sideways rotate the frame of the model anti clockwise in this case until the model horizon is again level with...

Страница 17: ...stem Model v1 20718 Page17 4 9 3am Planet Positions At 3am Jupiter and Neptune are about to set while Uranus is still high in the sky Mars has now risen and Venus will rise shortly The PSSM rotated to...

Страница 18: ...Dawn Planet Positions Just before sunrise Mars is high in the sky and Venus is well up Note that Saturn has not been visible at any time during the night because it is so close to the Sun Remember tha...

Страница 19: ...a position where the viewer can see it 45 up in the evening sky and watch it set in the next few hours It is thus the Evening Star When it is the evening star Venus trails the Earth in its orbit When...

Страница 20: ...ND to be in the Earth s orbital plane Every 588 days Venus does pass in between Earth and the Sun but it is usually above or below the Sun when seen from Earth because Venus is either above or below t...

Страница 21: ...ng the Moon the tiny polystyrene ball and moving it around the Earth by hand 4 15 Other Solar System Phenomena The model can be used to demonstrate many configurations and movements of the solar syste...

Страница 22: ...except the small orbits to fit into the carry bag they need to be folded down to a smaller size The method is to twist one side while holding the other side still The twist automatically makes the hoo...

Страница 23: ...that is why they stop their usual movement among the stars going from west to east and for a short while move from east to west before resuming their usual movement When explaining the positions and m...

Страница 24: ...s of the club and astronomy At one of these events I noticed a mother helping her apparently blind daughter to feel the solar system A special moment that was In June 2004 Venus passed across the surf...

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