JoinThe Dimensions of the Solar System
A few new wrinkles have been added to the popular activity of building a scale model of the solar system. Students can learn about maps and scaling using easily accessible online resources that include satellite images. This is accomplished by taking advantage of some of the special features of Google Earth. This activity gives students a much more powerful sense of the enormity and emptiness of the solar system and, at the same time, provides an opportunity to make connections with the community.