User Guide

© Learning Resources, Inc., Vernon Hills, IL, US
Learning Resources Ltd., Bergen Way,
King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 2JG, UK
Please retain our address for future reference.
Made in China. LRM2434-GUD
Hecho en China. Conservar estos datos.
Fabriqué en Chine. Informations à conserver.
Hergestellt in China. Bitte bewahren Sie unsere
Adresse für spätere
Nachfragen auf.
LER 2434
Your opinion matters! Visit
www.LearningResources.com
to write a product review or to
find a store near you.
Like
us on
Ages • Años
Ans • Jahre
5
+
Grades
K
+
Hang the solar system set in your classroom for a colorful and interactive display, or use it as a
hands-on model to demonstrate different solar system characteristics. Suggested activities and
facts in this guide will help students better understand the solar system.
Each model has recognizable characteristics that students should learn in order to distinguish
between the celestial bodies. For this reason, names are not listed on the models.
WARNING: Extreme temperatures above 70°F and below 0°F can cause damage to the inflatable
plastic material. Do not store this inflatable product in direct sunlight for long periods of time.
Repair Kit: A repair kit is included in the set to fix punctured areas or slow leaks. Make sure the
planet is completely deflated, clean and dry. Cut a suitable-size patch larger than the area you are
repairing. Remove the prepared adhesive patch from the paper backing and press it firmly over
the punctured area. Do not inflate for at least 20 minutes.
The Sun
• The Sun is made mostly of a gas called
hydrogen.
• The core of the Sun is made of a gas called
helium.
• Sunspots are cooler areas of the Sun that
look like dark spots on its surface.
• The temperature at the surface of the Sun is
about 10,000ºF.
Mercury
• Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
• During the day, Mercury is hot, but at night
it is freezing cold. This is because there is no
atmosphere to keep the Sun’s heat near the
planet.
• Mercury is a rocky planet with a large metal
center made of iron and nickel.
• There is no water on Mercury, and it is
covered with craters.
Venus
• Venus is the second planet from the Sun
and the closest planet to Earth.
• A layer of thick, swirling clouds hides the
surface of Venus.
• Astronauts cannot land on Venus because
its clouds trap the Sun’s heat, making it
hotter than Mercury.
• The planet’s clouds contain acid and have a
very high atmospheric pressure.
Earth
• Earth is the third planet from the Sun.
• Earth is the only planet in the solar system
known to have life.
• Much of Earth’s surface is covered by water.
• Earth is constantly spinning, causing only
half of its surface to face the sun at any
time.
A
CTIVITIES
•
Compare the size, color, and temperature differences between the objects in the solar system.
D
iscuss similarities and differences about the objects. Share any observations made about each of
the objects. See chart A.
• Show the relative distance between each object in the solar system. One student should
r
epresent each planet as well as the Sun, Moon, and Pluto. Have them line up in planetary order
s
tarting with the Sun. Students should guess how far away from each other each planet/student
s
hould stand. Recommended distances between each planet/student are shown in chart C. See
also chart B.
• Learn the differences between the planets by reading the facts about one planet at a time to the
e
ntire class. Students should raise their hands when they think they know which planet is being
d
escribed.
• Create a fun sentence as an easy way to remember the names and order of the planets starting
with the Sun. Each word in the sentence should begin with the first letter of a planet or the
o
bject, in order.
Order of the planets from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
The Dwarf planet Pluto is usually beyond Neptune.
E
arth’s Moon
• The Moon circles Earth as a satellite
e
very 27 days.
•
The side of the Moon facing the Sun is often
hotter than boiling water, but the other side
i
s freezing cold.
• There is no air or water on the Moon.
•
The Moon is the only celestial body in the
s
olar system that astronauts have visited.
Mars
•
Mars is sometimes called the Red Planet
because it looks red in the sky from Earth.
•
There is no running water on Mars, but dry
riverbeds on the surface indicate that there
m
ight have been water long ago.
•
Mars is mostly dry desert with craters,
c
anyons, and volcanoes.
•
There are few clouds that cover Mars. The
clouds are made of ice, so rain does not fall.
Jupiter
• Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and
t
he largest planet in the solar system.
•
Jupiter has a thin, faint ring surrounding it.
T
his ring is made of tiny, dust-like specks.
•
Jupiter has 16 moons called the Galileo
moons.
•
The Great Red Spot is a huge storm in
J
upiter’s clouds.
Saturn
•
Saturn has a thin, wide system of rings made
o
f millions of icy chunks of rock, each
m
oving around the planet.
• Saturn is the lightest planet in the solar
system.
• Saturn has the most moons in the solar
s
ystem. Astronomers have only been able to
c
ount 21, but there are many more.
• Saturn spins around so fast that it bulges
o
ut in the middle.
Uranus
•
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun
a
nd the third-largest planet in the solar
s
ystem. It has 15 moons.
•
Blue and green clouds that are covered with
a haze surround Uranus.
•
Eleven narrow rings circle Uranus, but they
a
re hard to see because they are dark and
d
o not shine brightly.
•
Uranus was the first planet to be discovered
using a telescope.
Neptune
• Neptune is the smallest gas planet and the
e
ighth planet from the Sun.
•
Blue clouds streaked with white clouds cover
N
eptune’s surface.
•
Neptune has eight moons and a set of four
rings.
•
Triton is Neptune’s largest moon and the
c
oldest known place in the solar system.
Pluto
•
Pluto is considered a dwarf planet.
•
Astronomers think Pluto is probably made of
r
ock and ice.
• Pluto has just one moon, called Charon,
w
hich is thought to be half the size
o
f Pluto.
•
Pluto takes 248 years to travel once around
the Sun.
C
harts/Gràfico/Tableau/Tabelle B:
57,909,175 km / 35,983,093 mi.
108,208,930 km / 67,237,911 mi.
149,597,890 km / 91,713,077 mi.
Distance from the Earth/Distancia desde la Tierra
Distância da Terra,Abstand von zur Erde
384,403 km / 238,857 mi.
227,936,640 km / 141,633,262 mi.
778,412,010 km / 483,682,799 mi.
1,426,725,400 km / 886,526,063 mi.
2,870,972,200 km / 1,783,939,419 mi.
4,498,252,900 km / 2,795,084,767 mi.
5,906,376,200 km / 3,670,052,021 mi.
Planet/Planeta
Planète/Planet
Distance from the Sun/Distancia desde el Sol
Distance du soleil/Abstand von der Sonne
Distance from the Earth/Distancia desde la Tierra
Distância da Terra,Abstand von zur Erde
149,597,890 km / 91,713,077 mi.
Sun//Sol/Le Soleil/Sonne
Mercury/Mercurio/Mercure/Merkur
Venus/Venus/Vénus/Venus
Earth/Tierra/La Terre/Erde
Moon/La luna de la Tierra/ La
Lune/Erde
Mars/Marte/Mars/Mars
Jupiter/Júpiter/Jupiter/Jupiter
Saturn/Saturn/Saturne/Saturn
Uranus/Urano/Uranus/Uranus
Neptune/Neptuno/Neptune/Neptun
Pluto/Plutón/Pluton/Pluto
(
Average Measurements/Medidas de promedio/Mesures moyennes/Durchschnittliche Messwerte)
Charts/Gràfico/Tableau/Tabelle A:
Planet/Planeta
Planète/Planet
Diameter/Diámetro
Diamètre/Durchmesser
Mean Temperature
Temperatura media
Température moyenne
Mittlere Temperatur
Sun//Sol/Le Soleil/Sonne
1,392,000 km / 825,802 mi.
5,503.85˚C
9,935.93˚F
Mercury/Mercurio/
Mercure/Merkur
4,878 km / 3,031 mi.
116.86˚C
332.33˚F
Venus/Venus/Vénus/Venus
12,104 km / 7,521 mi.
456.85˚C
854.33˚F
Earth/Tierra/La Terre/Erde
12,756 km / 7,926 mi.
14.85˚C
58.73˚F
Moon/La luna de la Tierra/ La
Lune/Erde
3,476 km / 2,160 mi.
–16˚C
3.2˚F
Mars/Marte/
Mars/Mars
6,794 km / 4,221 mi.
–5.15 to –87.15˚C
–22.73 to –124˚F
Jupiter/Júpiter/
Jupiter/Jupiter
142,796 km / 88,729 mi.
Saturn/Saturn/
Saturne/Saturn
120,000 km / 74,564 mi.
–139.15˚C
–218.46˚F
–139.15˚C
–218.46˚F
Uranus/Urano/
Uranus/Uranus
50,800 km / 31,566 mi.
–139.15˚C
–218.47˚F
Neptune/Neptuno/
Neptune/Neptun
50,540 km / 31,348 mi.
–200.15˚C
–328.27˚F
Pluto/Plutón/
Pluton/Pluto
3,400 km / 2,113 mi.
–215.35˚C
–355.63˚F
(Recommended distances/Distancias recomendadas/
Distances recommendées/Empfohlene Abstände)
Charts/Gràfico/Tableau/Tabelle C:
Sun//Sol/Le Soleil/Sonne
Mercury/Mercurio/Mercure/Merkur
Venus/Venus/Vénus/Venus
Moon/La luna de la Tierra/
La Lune/Erde
Earth/Tierra/La Terre/Erde
Mars/Marte/Mars/Mars
Jupiter/Júpiter/Jupiter/Jupiter
Saturn/Saturn/Saturne/Saturn
Uranus/Urano/Uranus/Uranus
Neptune/Neptuno/Neptune/Neptun
Pluto/Plutón/Pluton/Pluto
FACTS
Sistema Solar Hinchable
Système Solaire Gonflable
Aufblasbares Sonnensystem
3
.5 in./
8.89 cm
3 in./
7.62 cm
2.5 in./
6.35 cm
2 I
n
.
/
5
.
0
8 c
m
3
.5 ft./
1.0668 m
3 ft./
0.9144 m
2.5 ft./
0.762 m
5 in./
12.7 cm
5 ft./
1.524 m
3.5 ft./
1.06 m
34 ft./
10.36 m
4 ft./
1.22 m
40 ft./
12.19 m
9 ft./
2.74 m
90 ft./
27.43 m
10 ft./
3.05 m
100 ft./
30.48 m
8.5 ft./
2.6 m
85 ft./
25.91 m
2
f
t
.
/
0.
6096
m