Solar system model.

Solar system model. This solar system model is a three-dimensional representation of the Sun and the nine planets. The model is not true to scale. (A real model would have the sun with a 15 cm diameter and Pluto would be a small grain of sand half a mile away...) The model can be used to give the class a sense of the relative sizes, distances, speeds of the planets around the sun, and length of years. Using a planet location table and the degree markings on the base of the model, the position of the planets can be shown for different months and years (the charts we have only go up to year 1990.) This makes it clear why only some planets are seen at certain times of the year. The manual included with the model gives other information about the planets, as well as comments on asteroid swarms, planetary conjunctions, and Kepler's laws of planetary motion. Ref.:Hubbard Sci. Co. Manual