Lesson: Google Maps/Earth Solar System Scale Model

Google Maps has recently developed “My Maps” where Google Maps can be annotated with pictures, lines, shapes, and points. I incorporated this new tool with one of my all time favorite lessons: The Solar System Scale Model. This model shows the Sun and the nine planets (yes I still include Pluto for comparison reasons) to scale in both size and distance. For details download the student (word document) and teacher handout (word document). You can take a look at the model in action by going to Google Maps or download the Google Earth kml file to look at in Google Earth. Below is a short narrated video clip of the Google Earth version.

Comments

[Ben]

Thank you oh so much! I was scouring the internet for the file or directions to recreate this in Earth since I saw the video on the net! This'll be a much better illustration of the scale of the solar system than anything I could cook up! Thanks again; You, sir, are awesome!

[Darren Fix]

Glad you found it useful!