Sloan Digital Sky Survey
SkyServer DR16  
Not logged in Login Help
 

DR16 Projects
 Basic
     - Solar System
     - Scavenger Hunt
     - The Universe
     - Asteroids
     - Types of Stars
     - Color
     - Galaxies
 Advanced
 Research Challenges
 For Kids
 User Activities
 Games and Contests
 Links to Others

Solar System
 Coordinates
 Mapping
 Earth Sun and Seasons
The Planets on September 22nd, 2006

The table below shows the coordinates of the planets on September 22nd, 2006. Uranus and Neptune are listed, even though you can't see them without binoculars or a telescope:

Planet RA Dec
Mercury 194 -6.0
Venus 171 5.5
Mars 188 -2.9
Jupiter 225 -16.1
Saturn 143 15.6
Uranus 344 -7.8
Neptune 320 -15.9

Explore 1. Your teacher will have set up a large, blank graph in your classroom. Get into groups of 2 or 3. Each group will choose one planet from the list. Select a member of your group to put a dot on the graph at the position where your planet was on September 22nd, 2006. Each group will place one planet on the graph.

Question 1. Now that everyone is done placing their point on the graph, your class has made a map of the Solar System as it appeared from Earth on September 22nd, 2006. Look carefully at the map. What does it tell you about the Solar System?

Previous page: The Planets Next page: Asteroids