Maine Solar System Model
The residents of Aroostook County, Maine constructed a scale model of the solar system which you can see as you drive along Route 1 from Presque Isle to Houlton. The sun, located at Presque Isle, reaches up to the third floor of the Northern Maine Museum of Science. The earth, a mile away at Percy's Auto Sales, is a styrofoam ball 5.5 inches in diameter. Drive another 4.3 miles to see Jupiter. And Pluto, forty miles away at the end, is a one-inch-diameter wooden ball.Everyone seems to use a different mnemonic to remember the planets in the Solar System. The one I learned is "My Very Elegant Mother Just Sat Upon Nine Porcupines."
To remember the points of the compass I always have to repeat the phrase "Naughty Elephants Squirt Water".
Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Don't they know Pluto is not a planet anymore? They had best dismantle that wooden ball before they mess up some poor school kid.
Posted by Michael on 12/11 at 06:47 AM
How weird! I literally just studied this last night with my 5th grader!
Growing up in central Nebraska, I learned the mnemonic "My Very Eager Mother Just Shot Up North Platte." (Not sure what triggered Mom's rampage.) But since my son doesn't know what North Platte is, we resorted to the mnemonic my wife learned: "My Very Eager Mother Just Served Up Nine Pizzas."
And for one final mnemonic, my son had to also know the order of the planets by SIZE! So we came up with this handy pair: "Jelly Sandwiches Upset Ned / Every Vast Mountain Must Plop" (I know, I'm not very creative. I have a whole new appreciation for whoever came up with the other mnemonics.)
Growing up in central Nebraska, I learned the mnemonic "My Very Eager Mother Just Shot Up North Platte." (Not sure what triggered Mom's rampage.) But since my son doesn't know what North Platte is, we resorted to the mnemonic my wife learned: "My Very Eager Mother Just Served Up Nine Pizzas."
And for one final mnemonic, my son had to also know the order of the planets by SIZE! So we came up with this handy pair: "Jelly Sandwiches Upset Ned / Every Vast Mountain Must Plop" (I know, I'm not very creative. I have a whole new appreciation for whoever came up with the other mnemonics.)
Posted by Vern in KY on 12/11 at 06:53 AM
Scouting taught me this one: Never Eat Shredded Wheat
Posted by Jason in Burlington ON on 12/11 at 07:27 AM
I always heard "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas."
Of course now... poor Pluto isn't a planet anymore, so I guess she served us Nothing...
Of course now... poor Pluto isn't a planet anymore, so I guess she served us Nothing...
Posted by KW in Dallas, TX on 12/11 at 07:31 AM
All of this, "Pluto isn't a planet anymore" is pure nonsense. The action taken by the IAU was completely political. It's all just a silly arrogance, really - as if something is what it is only because WE (in our infinite wisdom) say so.
What if this ridiculous definition were to be maintained into a distant future that saw the discovery of an astronomical body that doesn't meet a single criterion for "planetness" but supports a biological intelligence? I can think of a dozen reasons why the current definition is not only absurd, but completely meaningless as well.
As far as I'm concerned, if it's got mass enough to be spherical it's a planet - and there are NINE of them in MY solar system.
What if this ridiculous definition were to be maintained into a distant future that saw the discovery of an astronomical body that doesn't meet a single criterion for "planetness" but supports a biological intelligence? I can think of a dozen reasons why the current definition is not only absurd, but completely meaningless as well.
As far as I'm concerned, if it's got mass enough to be spherical it's a planet - and there are NINE of them in MY solar system.
Posted by Uncle Eccoli on 12/11 at 08:36 AM
http://www.snorgtees has a nice t-shirt with a picture of pluto crying. It reads: It's okay Pluto, I'm not a planet either.
Posted by kingmonkey in Athens, Ontario on 12/11 at 11:02 AM
My Very Expensive Machinery Just Smashes Under Necessary Pressure.
Posted by daizi on 12/11 at 11:06 AM
Uncle, then you need to up the number a bit... Ceres in the asteroid belt is spherical, as are the four largest trans-Neptunian objects (Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris). Ceres and the TNOs are all dwarf planets. That takes us up to 13, and who knows how many more objects meeting your criterion are out in the Kuiper belt. Sedna is an example of another possible "planet" under your definition (the shape isn't known yet, so not sure if it counts... Of course, its average orbital distance is more than 525 times the distance from the earth to the sun).
Posted by Kenneth on 12/11 at 11:23 AM
I always learned "My very extravagant mother just spent Uncle Ned's pay." We never had an Uncle Ned and my mother grew up during the Depression, so she was anything but extravagant. But it did help me pass my elementary science class.
Posted by Decca on 12/11 at 11:43 AM
I always liked "most volcanoes erupt mulberry jam sandwiches under neath pressure"
Posted by kezatwork on 12/11 at 01:35 PM
as far as compass points i was taught that if you face north the w for west and the e for east spell we. west left, east right.
Posted by patty in ohio on 12/11 at 02:33 PM
Under Uncle's criterion, our own moon is a planet so... But yes, ultimately it is arbitrary, such as what delineates a continent (e.g. why Australia and not Greenland).
As for the compass points, drinkers would probably like: Not Everyone Says "When".
In order of size of planets: How about:
Just Say Useful Niceties, Vetoing Mocking Pronouns, or
Just Saying "Underwear" Never Validates My Presence
Okay, back to work.
As for the compass points, drinkers would probably like: Not Everyone Says "When".
In order of size of planets: How about:
Just Say Useful Niceties, Vetoing Mocking Pronouns, or
Just Saying "Underwear" Never Validates My Presence
Okay, back to work.
Posted by Patrick in Victoria BC on 12/11 at 03:07 PM
Before I start my layman astronomers ramble, I learned the same thing as KW.
Uncle, Kenneth and Patrick, you're leaving out the satellites of Jupiter and Saturn and Neptune and uranus too.
I agree the current definition is stupid and fairly meaningless, but I also dont believe pluto shouuld be a planet. Its orbit is too far inclined and elongated in comparison to the other 8.
Part of their definition was just to excluded our moon. I guess they forgot that almost all of the planets have asteroids in the lagrange points.
My personal opinion is the definition should be along the lines of massive enough to be spherical. Be the dominant object in its region. Orbit a star. And have a inclination within 30 degrees of the orbital plane.
Uncle, Kenneth and Patrick, you're leaving out the satellites of Jupiter and Saturn and Neptune and uranus too.
I agree the current definition is stupid and fairly meaningless, but I also dont believe pluto shouuld be a planet. Its orbit is too far inclined and elongated in comparison to the other 8.
Part of their definition was just to excluded our moon. I guess they forgot that almost all of the planets have asteroids in the lagrange points.
My personal opinion is the definition should be along the lines of massive enough to be spherical. Be the dominant object in its region. Orbit a star. And have a inclination within 30 degrees of the orbital plane.
Posted by Wayne in Kenosha on 12/11 at 08:55 PM
Those images are really weird just like it's title, hahaha This is a very interesting one.
Pastry Shoes
Pastry Shoes
Posted by Princess in philippines on 12/12 at 02:23 AM
Mother Very Thoughtfully Made A Jam Sandwich Under No Protest- you have to know that Terra is earth, but enables you to remember that the asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter.
Posted by Grant McKenna in Dunedin, New Zealand on 12/14 at 02:31 AM
Never Eat Soggy Weetbix
Posted by Mannah in Australia on 12/15 at 03:52 AM
Maine is a great place to start solar system models!
Framingham Landscape
Framingham Landscape
Posted by Brian in Framingham on 01/08 at 10:01 AM
Great analogy taken. I would say that this model is very creative. The mnemonic explained here is too good to remember. I will use it for my kid too.
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Regards, DcrDetox
http://dcrdetox.com/
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