NOTE: Bumping this up...this plan is now back on track
We have the manpower now, and just waiting for our materials and the schedule...
CA3 will keep updating you guys about the progress of this activity in this thread
Backgrounder:
Most people actually have the
wrong notion of the scale of the solar system in relation to the sizes of the planets. WHY? Simple. When you go to a library and find books and encyclopaedias with pictures of the solar system (or equivalently, you go to Google and search "Solar System") what do you find? You find this...
Now, surprising as it may be for most of you, but I'm sorry to tell you that
these pictures are all wrong, in aspects
pertaining to the size of the solar system and the planets, and the distances of the planets to one another in relation to their sizes.
Now here's another photo, published by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
You might say
"This should be correct, because the IAU published it!" Well, yes, in terms of planet/minor-planet proportions, the sizes of the bodies are accurate. However there's still one problem--
the distances. So how far is the sun, really, from the earth? From Mercury? From Jupiter?
To know this, we must construct a true, proportional solar system, based on a fixed determined size of the Sun, and from there, work out the size of the planets, and the distances between them.
A great example of this is seen in this video...
YouTube - Bill Nye Demonstrates Distance Between Planets
What I'm proposing, therefore, to amateur astronomy buffs out there, is to create a temporary, "to-scale" "proportional solar system" here in Cebu City, and my venues of choice for this activity are the following:
a) Fuente Circle
b) USC Talamban Football field
c) (other suggestions welcome)
Basically, the activity involves this:
1) Determining the size of the model Sun - this is very important, because the distances will be based on this...or...
2) Determining that the distance say, from the center of Fuente, to the edge of the Fuente fence, is the distance to Neptune. Once this distance is determined, we can then set the proportional size of the Sun and of course, the rest of the planets/minor planets
3) Modeling the Sun and planets out of clay, wood, paper or whatever materials are cheap but visually appealing and suitable for the purpose.
I think this activity will make the general public truly understand how BIG the solar system really is, and how TINY the planets are compared to the distances between the planets and the sun.
I also think this activity will be of interest to:
a) Science teachers
b) Modelers, sculptors, artists, graphic designers
c) parents
d) amateur astronomers
Share your thoughts and ideas about this proposal in this thread.
-RODION