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Solar System Distance Scale

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Solar System Distance Scale

You are helping Mei and Anahera plan a netball tournament display about how far the planets are from Te Rā (the Sun). Use the scale 1 cm = 50 million km. Distances are average distances from the Sun; they are rounded for this activity.

Planet distances

Use this information card for Questions 1–5.

Mercury — 58 million km

Venus — 108 million km

Earth — 150 million km

Mars — 228 million km

Jupiter — 778 million km

Saturn — 1,434 million km

Uranus — 2,871 million km

Neptune — 4,495 million km

1.Which planet is closest to Te Rā? Select one.

Venus
Mercury
Earth
Mars

2.The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Which option names only inner planets?

Mercury, Earth and Mars
Earth, Jupiter and Mars
Venus, Saturn and Mercury
Mars, Uranus and Venus

3.On Mei’s display, Earth is 3 cm from the Sun. At the scale of 1 cm = 50 million km, what real distance does 3 cm represent?

4.Complete the scaled distances. Divide each planet’s distance in million kilometres by 50. Write the model distance in centimetres: Mercury (58 million km) = ___ cm; Venus (108 million km) = ___ cm; Earth (150 million km) = ___ cm; Mars (228 million km) = ___ cm.

5.Jupiter is 778 million km from the Sun. About how many centimetres from the Sun should it be on the model, to the nearest whole centimetre? Show or explain your calculation.

6.Order these planets from nearest to farthest from Te Rā: Mars, Venus, Mercury, Earth.

7.How much farther from the Sun is Mars than Earth? Give your answer in million kilometres.

8.Anahera says, “Neptune is only about twice as far from the Sun as Jupiter.” Use the information card to decide whether she is correct. Explain using an estimate or calculation.

9.A netball court is about 30 m long. If the display showed Neptune at its scaled distance, would a single court be long enough? Explain what the scale tells you about the distances between planets.

10.Draw a simple scale-model line showing Te Rā and the first four planets in order. Label Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, and use the scale 1 cm = 50 million km. (You may round each model distance to the nearest centimetre.)

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Solar System Distance Scale

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2 printable pages

About This Worksheet

Free in Kuraplan

Print-Ready

AI-Generated

For Teachers & Parents

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