Our solar system is made up of the Sun, 8 planets, and other bodies such as
asteroids orbiting the Sun. The solar system is very large compared to anything we see on
Earth. The distance between planets is measured in astronomical units (AU). One AU is
equal to 149.6 million kilometers, the average distance between the Sun and Earth. Scale
models are useful for helping us understand the size of the solar system.
Mr. Wilson’s science class made a scale model of the solar system. They went out to the
school’s football field, and they used the chart shown below to mark out the scale distance
from the Sun to each planet
The average orbital radius for a planet is its distance from the Sun. Which statement BEST
describes the relationship between the planets and their average orbital radii?
A. The planets are evenly spaced in the solar system.
B. Closer to the Sun, the planets are regularly spaced apart.
C. The planets closest to each other are the ones farthest from the sun.
D. Farther from the Sun, the planets are spaced farther apart from each other.