Criteria #1:  

In criteria 1, we had to explain and give examples of the creation of our solar system.  
The main theory of how our solar system formed is that the debris from a nebula, possibly from a 
previous star, started to get pushed together by gravity. As more debris clumped and smashed together, 
objects got larger and larger. One of the objects in our solar system got so massive from gasses and other 
debris, it created what is now the Sun. Because so much gas and debris formed our sun, it now takes up 
99% of all the solar system's mass. The other 1% is the planets and dwarf planets, moons, and the kuiper 
and asteroid belt. With the Sun’s mass so large, the other 1% is what orbits the sun. This was the Nebular 
Hypothesis. Another hypothesis of the solar system was from Aristotle. He believed that the earth is the 
center of the universe and that the sun, planets, and stars orbited the earth. He thought that if the earth 
was orbiting, we would feel a strong wind on one side of the earth. Now with technology that lets us see our 
solar system, the Nebular Hypothesis is a better way to go. I showed this in my artwork by drawing out a 
somewhat to scale model of the solar system. Next, I put glue on all the planet’s orbits, sun, and asteroid 
belts. I put dust, dirt, and rocks on the glue to represent the debris. The asteroid and kuiper belt are made 
of rocks and dirt as well as the planets and their orbits. The artwork may look messy, but so was the solar 
system during the time of its creation. 

 
 
 
Criteria #2: 
In criteria 2, we had to describe methods and equipment used to explore our solar system and beyond. 
Something that has helped us significantly with exploring the solar system was the space probe, 
voyager 1. Voyager 1 has now passed our most distant object in our solar system. It sits almost 12 billion 
miles from us. It is the most distant man made object in history. Although, we have seen much, much more 
with telescopes. The Hubble telescope has seen up to 10 to 15 billion light years away. This being the 
farthest we’ve ever seen in the universe, it is called the Hubble Deep Field. The Hubble telescope is above 
earth, flying around with thousands of satellites. These satellites usually explore and study our earth more, 
but still have made fascinating discoveries of our solar system as well. To get people up to these satellites 
to repair and/or study, they get up above us with a manned space mission. The technology that helps us 
into space is a rocket, where the astronauts are, and a booster, for thrusting to the speed of a bullet. So we 
don’t make our missions to space so expensive, we use reusable launch systems. This allows all the stages 
to be reused. Space crafts are what allowed us to land on the moon. They carry our astronauts to and from 
the moon, and someday, Mars. On mars, there have been a few rovers in the past that have explored and 
studied Mars. These rovers were Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity. By 2021 there will be the Curiosity 
rover. In my artwork, I made a drawing of voyager 1 passing by Saturn. 

 
Criteria #3: 
In criteria 3, we had to display an accurate model of the solar system and how gravity plays a big role in 
keeping objects in orbit. 
In my model, I drew out all the significant objects in our solar system at a scaled length apart. I 
could not do it to scale in size and length because I would have needed about 10 miles of space if the earth 
were to be the size of a marble. I used a past assignment we did to make the lengths scaled. For example, 
Uranus is half the distance between the sun and the kuiper belt, Saturn is half the distance between Uranus 
and the sun, and so on. 
The way a planet gets put in orbit is similar to a sheet being held over the ground. If there was a 
sheet being held in the air and a heavy ball was placed on the sheet, the sheet would sink down a little bit 
where the ball is. That ball can represent the sun. Now if a lighter ball were placed on the sheet, it would 
start to roll towards the heavier ball. The lighter ball would eventually roll circularly around the heavier 
one. This is just like how the planets orbit the sun. 

 
  
Criteria #4: 
In criteria 4, we had to exhibit how the earth's tilt, moon, and sun have an effect on the tides, seasons, and 
eclipses. 
The earth tilts at a 23.5 degree angle. When the northern hemisphere is the side tilted away from 
the sun, then it is winter. While the north tilts away, the south tilts toward the sun, making it summer. The 
gravitational force of the moon “pulls” on the side and opposite side of the earth it is showing on. This is 
why the ocean goes from high to low tide. Because the moon has a gravitational pull, that is what creates a 
tidal bulge. A lunar eclipse is when the earth is between 
the moon and the sun. When sunlight passes through the 
earth’s atmosphere, it filters blue light (that’s why the 
sky is blue) but not red. The red light gets put onto the 
moon during the lunar eclipse. That is what makes it a 
blood moon. A solar eclipse is much less common. A solar 
eclipse occurs when the moon is between the earth and 
sun. The moon puts a shadow on the earth. This will make 
certain parts of the earth go dark for a few minutes. I 
showed this in my work by making a diagram to explain 
this all.