Have you ever wondered how long it would take for a plane to fly around each planet in our solar system? Let’s explore this fun idea by comparing the size of each planet to the speed of a typical airplane. This will help us understand how big and far apart the planets really are!
Commercial jets, like the ones we fly in for vacations, usually travel at about $575$ miles per hour (mph). We’ll use this speed to figure out how long it would take to fly around each planet.
Let’s start with Earth. The distance around Earth, called its circumference, is about $24,901$ miles. If a plane flies at $575$ mph, it would take around $43$ hours to fly all the way around our planet.
Mercury is much smaller than Earth, with a circumference of over $9,500$ miles. A plane would take roughly $16$ hours to fly around Mercury.
Venus is a bit bigger, with a circumference of over $23,000$ miles. Flying around Venus would take about $41$ hours.
Mars has a circumference of $13,200$ miles. A plane would need about $23$ hours to circle Mars.
Jupiter is the giant of our solar system! Its circumference is approximately $272,000$ miles. It would take an incredible $474$ hours for a plane to fly around Jupiter once.
Saturn is also huge, with a circumference of around $235,000$ miles. A plane would take about $409$ hours to fly around Saturn.
Uranus has a circumference of approximately $99,000$ miles. It would take a plane around $173$ hours to circle Uranus.
Finally, Neptune has a circumference of about $96,185$ miles. A plane would take approximately $168$ hours to fly around Neptune once.
These amazing distances show just how big our solar system is! By comparing the planets’ sizes to the speed of a plane, we get a cool view of how large each planet is. Each planet is unique and would take different amounts of time to fly around, reminding us of the vastness of space and our celestial neighborhood.
Planetary Model Creation: Use clay or playdough to create models of the planets in our solar system. Try to make each planet’s size proportional to its actual size compared to the others. Once your models are ready, use a small toy airplane to simulate flying around each planet. How long does it take your plane to circle each one? Discuss with a friend or family member how the size of the planets affects the time it takes to fly around them.
Distance and Time Exploration: Using a globe or a large ball to represent Earth, wrap a string around it to measure its circumference. Then, measure the string to see how long it is. Imagine if this string was the path an airplane would take. If the plane travels at $575$ mph, calculate how long it would take to fly around your “Earth” using the formula: $$text{Time} = frac{text{Circumference}}{text{Speed}}$$. Try this with different sized balls to represent other planets and compare the times.
Story Time with Math: Write a short story about an imaginary journey where you fly around each planet in a plane. Include the time it takes to fly around each planet and what you might see or experience on your journey. Use the times given in the article to help you. Share your story with your class or family and discuss how the distances and times make you feel about the size of our solar system.
