The Bridge V Learning Edition 1 ; our solar system | Page 27

Brief Description
Place the model of our solar system on a cloth against a banderol of stars to analyse when the
planets of the Solar System are visible.
Credit: Natalie Fischer
Keywords
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Sun
Planets
Solar System
Materials
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Plastic planets (Box)
Plastic Sun (Box)
Blue cloth (Box)
Banderol of Zodiac (Box)
Learning Objectives
Learn about the locations of planets in our Solar System, and when we can see them from Earth.
Background Science
See introduction and activity 4.1
Full description
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Spread a blue cloth on the floor.
Put a big yellow sphere — representing the Sun — in the centre, with the planets
around it in the right order. Two of the planets (Mercury and Venus) should be
located between the Sun and the Earth, with the others behind the Earth.
First, remove all planets except Venus, Mercury and Earth. Where is the day and
night side of the Earth? When is the only time we can see Venus and/or Mercury?
Venus and Mercury are only visible on the day side of the Earth. Therefore, they can