Solar System model

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/solar-system-model

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the ptolemy's model type?Geocentric, using epicycles and deferents
2. What is the kepler's orbital description?Planets follow elliptical paths
3. What is a solar system model and why do we build them?A solar system model is a pretend version of the Sun, planets, and other objects that shows how they move and interact. It helps us see the big picture of space in a way we can touch or see on a screen.
4. How did people first think the Sun and Earth were arranged?Long ago, people thought the Earth was the center and the Sun and planets went around it. Later, scientists like Copernicus said the Sun is at the center and the planets orbit it.

Epicycles and Deferents: Complex geometric constructions used in geocentric models to explain planetary motion.
Heliocentric Revolution: The paradigm shift from an Earth-centered to a Sun-centered model of the solar system.
Exoplanet: A planet that orbits a star outside of our own solar system.