Planet Orbits

Here’s a link to a cool website that lets you view how the planets in the Solar System move around the Sun : http://www.gunn.co.nz/astrotour/

You can run it automatically, and change the speed. or pause it and step through slowly. You can choose to view the whole thing with the sun at the centre, or to follow a particular planet around.

The controls at the side let you zoom in so you can see a few planets more closely. You can also make the planets bigger to make them easier to see on an IWB.

Another nice touch is that if you click and drag any planet, all the others will move in time with it.

This is a neat little tool to show how the planets orbit the Sun. You can see how some move faster than others and use the dates to calculate how long it would take some of the outer planets to complete one orbit. Visit the site now and have a play!

Related posts:

1. Jigsaw Planet
2. Solar System Scope : A 3D Space Model
3. Scimorph – augmented reality for science
4. 3 Quick Science Resources
5. Explore Moon Phases with Sun Moon Scope