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Earth & Space - The Earth in space - Space & the Solar System - G18
This is the Teacher's Guide for this targetThis is the Teacher's Guide for this targetTeacher's Guide

ES-C1.2


 1. Before doing this activity you might like to give the children some idea of the relative distances of the planets from the Sun. The table below gives distances scaled down although they may still be beyond the bounds of the playground!

Distances of the Planets

Using a scale of 1 metre = 100 million kilometres, the distances the children must be spaced in the playground are -

Sun at the start.

Mercury - 0.6 m from the Sun.

Venus - 1.0 m from the Sun

Earth - 1.5 m from the Sun

Mars - 2.3 m from the Sun

Jupiter - 7.8 m from the Sun

Saturn - 14.3 m from the Sun

Uranus - 28.7 m from the Sun

Neptune - 45.0 m from the Sun

Pluto - 59.0 m from the Sun

This table shows the temperature of the planets in their order from the Sun :-
Sun 0 5,500
Planet  Distance from Sun 
(km x 1,000,000) 
Surface Temperature ( oC )
Mercury 58 -170 to +430
Venus 108  464
Earth 150  15
Mars 228  -40
Jupiter 778 -120
Saturn 1427 -180
Uranus 2870 -210
Neptune 4500 -220
Pluto 5900  -220

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