Planet/Sun Project

Below details the planet/sun project we will be starting. Parts of it will be

done in a group, and parts done individually. This is noted in parentheses ()
right after the step.
Step 1: (Group and Individual)
In your group you will need to gather information about your planet/sun in
the following areas:
The Planet's Name: What does its name mean? Many planets were named after
mythological gods.
Position in the Solar System: Where is your planet located (for example, Mars in the
fourth planet from the Sun)?
Position from the sun: How far away is your planet from the sun?
Inner or outer planet: Is your planet and inner or an outer planet?
Rotation on its Axis: How long does it take for your planet to rotate on its own axis?
(This is one day on your planet.)
Size: How big is your planet? How does it rate in terms of the other planets in terms of
size (is it the biggest, the smallest)? What is your planet's mass?
Gravity: What is the force of gravity at the surface of your planet? For example, what
would a 100-pound person weigh on that planet?
Orbit: How long does it take for your planet to orbit the Sun? (This is one year on your
planet.)
Temperature: What is the temperature range your planet? How does this compare to the
temperature on Earth?
Composition of Your Planet and its Appearance: What type of planet is it (is it rocky
or a gas giant)? What is its internal composition? What does your planet look like?
Moons: If there are moons orbiting your planet, describe them and when they were
discovered.
Rings: If there are rings orbiting your planet, describe them and when they were
discovered.

 How Would a Human Being Fare on Your Planet: On your planet, would a person
choke in the atmosphere, be squashed by the extreme gravity, float with ease, freeze, burn
up, or something else?
Something Special: Is there anything special about your planet? This can often be the
best part of the report, taking you off on interesting topics. For example, are there 100year-long storms on your planet? Are there giant volcanos? Does your planet have a very
tilted axis (giving it extreme seasons)? Have spacecraft visited your planet? If so, what
have they discovered? Is your planet in an orbital resonance with another body?
Discovery of Your Planet: The planets that are not visible using the naked eye were
discovered after the invention of the telescope (these are Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto).
Tell when your planet was discovered and by whom.
Step 2: (Group)
Then you can choose one of the following, but it must include ALL the above
information along with a picture. You will be given in class time to do this
and if you use your time wisely, you should have plenty of time to complete
it:
a poster
a slide show
a story book about your planet/sun.
Step 3: (Individually)
You will need to design a scaled model of your planet/sun. See the rubric
attached for what will be graded on this scaled model. You may use any
material you would like, but I would prefer if it was light enough to hang
from the ceiling of our room. Use the following as a guideline for the
circumference (area around your planet/sun):
Mercury: 28.5 cm
Venus: 32.5 cm
Earth: 33 cm

Mars: 25 cm
Jupiter: 71 cm
Saturn: 65 cm

Uranus: 52 cm
Neptune: 50 cm
Sun: 150cm

Step 4: (Individually or Group)

Your last step will be to EITHER a) write a short research paper or b) create a
song on your planet and what you have learned from this project. You must
include information learned on all of the planets. See attached rubric for
details.
**If you do a research paper you must site your sources and it must be on
your OWN. The song would be a collaborative group effort.

For your group you will need to make sure I have a copy of everything from
your group. When you turn in your project and present either your song or
research paper I need what you worked on for each part.