Student Exploration: Solar System Explorer
Save this Word document to your computer hard drive. Be sure to put your name in the title.
Online Game: Solar System Explorer
Objective: Survey the solar system, observing the length of a year and the orbital path of each
object. The positions of the eight official planets are displayed, as well as one dwarf planet,
Pluto. Learn about Kepler's Laws and how planets are classified.
FINDING THE GIZMO
Follow these steps to find the Gizmo:
• Go to the Explore Learning website: http://www.explorelearning.com/.
• In the upper right hand corner, click on Enroll in a Class.
• The class code you need is:
1. Last Name A-M: SGZSSTTP53
2. Last Name N-Z: KDRA364WZ4
• Click on Continue.
• If you have used the Explore Learning site before you should be able to log in
using your MNOHS username and password (for example, mnohs10ajones /
piano227). If you have never used Explore Learning before, you’ll need to
register using your MNOHS username and password.
Once inside the Earth and Space Science course, look for the Gizmo called
Solar System Explorer and click on Launch Gizmo.
If you have trouble logging in, please contact me!
Vocabulary: astronomical unit, dwarf planet, eccentricity, ellipse, gas giant, Kepler’s
laws, orbit, orbital radius, period, planet, solar system, terrestrial planet
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. List all of the planets you can think of in our solar system. Try to list them in
order from closest to farthest from the Sun.
This study source was downloaded by 100000851646087 from CourseHero.com on 02-27-2023 04:31:08 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/36714059/Solar-System-Explorer-Gizmo1doc/
, 2. Which planets are most like Earth? Which are most different from Earth? Explain.
Gizmo Warm-up
The Solar System Explorer Gizmo™ shows a model of the
solar system. All of the distances, but not the sizes of
the planets, are shown to scale. To begin, turn on Show
orbital paths and click Play ( ). You are looking at the
four inner planets.
1. In which direction do planets go around the Sun,
clockwise or counterclockwise?
2. An orbit is the path of a body around another body. What is the shape of the
planetary orbits around the Sun?
3. Click Pause ( ). You can see the name of each planet by holding your cursor
over the planet. What is the order of the eight planets, starting from the Sun?
Click the “zoom out” button ( ) to see the outer planets and Pluto, which is
classified as a dwarf planet.
Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Classifying planets Click Reset ().
Question: How are planets classified?
1. Think about it: How do you think astronomers group planets?
This study source was downloaded by 100000851646087 from CourseHero.com on 02-27-2023 04:31:08 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/36714059/Solar-System-Explorer-Gizmo1doc/
Save this Word document to your computer hard drive. Be sure to put your name in the title.
Online Game: Solar System Explorer
Objective: Survey the solar system, observing the length of a year and the orbital path of each
object. The positions of the eight official planets are displayed, as well as one dwarf planet,
Pluto. Learn about Kepler's Laws and how planets are classified.
FINDING THE GIZMO
Follow these steps to find the Gizmo:
• Go to the Explore Learning website: http://www.explorelearning.com/.
• In the upper right hand corner, click on Enroll in a Class.
• The class code you need is:
1. Last Name A-M: SGZSSTTP53
2. Last Name N-Z: KDRA364WZ4
• Click on Continue.
• If you have used the Explore Learning site before you should be able to log in
using your MNOHS username and password (for example, mnohs10ajones /
piano227). If you have never used Explore Learning before, you’ll need to
register using your MNOHS username and password.
Once inside the Earth and Space Science course, look for the Gizmo called
Solar System Explorer and click on Launch Gizmo.
If you have trouble logging in, please contact me!
Vocabulary: astronomical unit, dwarf planet, eccentricity, ellipse, gas giant, Kepler’s
laws, orbit, orbital radius, period, planet, solar system, terrestrial planet
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. List all of the planets you can think of in our solar system. Try to list them in
order from closest to farthest from the Sun.
This study source was downloaded by 100000851646087 from CourseHero.com on 02-27-2023 04:31:08 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/36714059/Solar-System-Explorer-Gizmo1doc/
, 2. Which planets are most like Earth? Which are most different from Earth? Explain.
Gizmo Warm-up
The Solar System Explorer Gizmo™ shows a model of the
solar system. All of the distances, but not the sizes of
the planets, are shown to scale. To begin, turn on Show
orbital paths and click Play ( ). You are looking at the
four inner planets.
1. In which direction do planets go around the Sun,
clockwise or counterclockwise?
2. An orbit is the path of a body around another body. What is the shape of the
planetary orbits around the Sun?
3. Click Pause ( ). You can see the name of each planet by holding your cursor
over the planet. What is the order of the eight planets, starting from the Sun?
Click the “zoom out” button ( ) to see the outer planets and Pluto, which is
classified as a dwarf planet.
Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Classifying planets Click Reset ().
Question: How are planets classified?
1. Think about it: How do you think astronomers group planets?
This study source was downloaded by 100000851646087 from CourseHero.com on 02-27-2023 04:31:08 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/36714059/Solar-System-Explorer-Gizmo1doc/
