Solar System Activities


Explore the Solar System with these hands-on activities!

An illustration of the planets of our solar system all lined up.

Our Solar System is made up of the Sun and all the smaller objects that move around it, including eight planets, at least five dwarf planets, tens of thousands of asteroids, and billions of comets. Discover the scale of the Solar System, what makes each planet unique, and how scientists explore far-away worlds!



Activities

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  • How Many Moons? For younger learners, explore the Solar System’s moons through counting and beading.
  • Mars Rovers: Learn how scientists & engineers use robotic rovers to explore distant worlds. Players acting as "Mission Control" and a "Rover" work together to navigate a large obstacle course.
  • Model the Sun/Earth System: For older children, calculate and measure out a scale model of the distances of planets in the solar system.
  • Pack to Travel to Mars: Imagine you are traveling to Mars. What  objects you would take on the two and a half year journey?
  • Pocket Solar System: Make a scale model of Earth's neighborhood and discover the distance between  planets.

 


 
Video: UAF Planet Walk


Discover fun facts about our solar system on this guided tour.

This video was made for the museum by members of the UAF Society of Physics Students.  Thank you!

Return to Space Science Activities homepage.

 


NASA logo with the word "partner" underneath.

 

This project was funded under NASA cooperative agreement NNX16AL65A and cooperative agreement number NNH15ZDA004C. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and  do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.