Content

• Part 2 of 3: Make rocky planets
• Part 3 of 3: Build the Model
• What do you need
• Tips

1 Find a cardboard box. In this model of the solar system, the planets will be suspended inside a cardboard box. Choose a box that is the right size to fit 8 planets (or even 9 if you include Pluto in the model) and the Sun. For example, a men's shoe box that measures approximately 36 x 25 x 13 centimeters will do.

2 Paint the box black. The inside of the box should be painted with black acrylic paint (including the narrow outer sides). Leave the box to dry on the newspaper while you make the planets.

• For a more even background, you can use black paper. Circle the box, cut out the resulting rectangle, and fix the paper inside the box with tape or glue.

3 Take five Styrofoam balls. It is advisable to find balls of three different sizes. Such balls should fit inside the box, while not taking up all the free space and not compressing the entire row. You will need:

• one large ball to make the sun (up to 10 centimeters in diameter);
• two medium balls to make Jupiter and Saturn (up to 7.5 centimeters in diameter);
• two small balls to make Uranus and Neptune (up to 5 centimeters in diameter).

4 Choose paint. Acrylic paint is the best option, as other types of paints can dissolve the styrofoam. Choose a variety of colors for the planets, including orange or gold, yellow, red, white, and navy blue.

• If you're not sure if the paint is suitable for styrofoam, read the brush cleaning instructions. If the paint can be washed with water, then it is water-based paint and it is safe.If you cannot do without a solvent like white spirit or turpentine, then the paint contains a solvent and can dissolve the foam.

5 Color the Sun. Insert a long skewer into the largest foam ball for a comfortable grip. Paint the surface with gold, yellow, or orange paint to make the sun. Place the skewer in a tall glass or insert the other end into the foam block and let the ball dry.

• A stencil or other short bristled brush will help you paint over every millimeter of the styrofoam ball. To apply an even coat, wait for the first coat of paint to dry and then use a larger brush.
• If the paint does not adhere to the surface, then first cover the ball with a thin layer of putty and wait until it dries, and then apply the paint.

6 Paint the large planets in the same way. Two medium-sized foam balls will become the two largest planets - Jupiter and Saturn, which are called gas giants. The planets, which are about ten times the diameter of the Earth, are composed primarily of a thick layer of gas that surrounds a rocky core. Place them on skewers and slide them into the foam block or place them in separate glasses so they don't touch until the paint is dry.

• Jupiter's clouds form stripes and spiral cyclones. Use red, orange, and white paint to create patterned swirls.
• Saturn should be pale yellow (mix yellow and white).

7 Paint the ice giants. The two remaining balls will represent Neptune and Uranus, the smallest gas giants, or "ice giants." The planets, which are about four times the diameter of the Earth, were formed from chunks of ice and heavy elements. After some time, these materials turned into a liquid core surrounded by a layer of circulating gases.

• Mix blue and white to paint Uranus light blue. Sometimes white clouds form on top of the blue atmosphere.
• Neptune is almost the same color as Uranus, but appears darker because it is farther from the Sun and receives less light. It should be painted with blue paint.

8 Add the rings of Saturn. Find a glass that matches the diameter of the ball for Saturn. Place the glass upside down on white or yellow cardboard and trace with a pencil. In order to make a ring, you need to take another glass or cup of a larger diameter and circle it again with a pencil. Cut out the ring, glue around Saturn and leave to dry.

• A large circle should be cut first. Then carefully fold it in half without smoothing out the crease and cut out a small circle.

Part 2 of 3: Make rocky planets

1. 1 Craft five rocky clay planets. Use polymer clay, art clay, or a homemade polymer clay substitute. Form five small balls (no more than 2.5 centimeters in diameter) from different colors of clay:
   • Mercury looks like a brown-gray rock without clouds. To make it look beautiful, you can use red or golden clay.
   • Make an Earth blank out of blue clay.
   • Make Venus out of pale yellow clay.
   • Pluto is actually not a planet due to its small size, but it will not be superfluous in our model. Make it out of light brown clay. You can add some charcoal to create a patchy finish.
2. 2 Punch a hole in each bead. Use a large needle to pierce all rocky planets in the center. Later, you will need to thread a line through the holes to hang the planets inside the box.
   • In Saturn, the hole should be punctured at an angle so that the rings are slightly tilted when you hang it. This will not only be more beautiful, but it will also take up less space.
3. 3 Wait for the clay to dry. Follow the directions on the package.Regular clay dries on its own, but polymer clay needs to be oven dried at low temperatures.
   • Clay of light colors is best dried at a temperature 5 ºC lower than that indicated in the instructions. This can take twice as long, but the risk of spoiling the product will be reduced.
4. 4 Draw continents on Earth. When the model of the Earth is solid, paint all the continents on it with green acrylic paint.

Part 3 of 3: Build the Model

1. 1 Draw the stars. When the black paint inside the box is dry, take a white felt-tip pen or a thin brush with white paint and draw stars on it as dots.
2. 2 Thread the line through the styrofoam balls. When the sun is dry, pierce the ball through with a skewer. Glue a clear line to the tip of the skewer and thread it through the hole. Follow this step for all Styrofoam balls.
   • The length of the line must be long enough to hang the planet from the “ceiling” inside the box, which is on its side. 13-15 centimeters should be enough.
3. 3 Glue the fishing line. Hold the end of the line and remove the skewer. Tie a few knots and secure with a drop of hot glue.
4. 4 Thread the line into the clay planets. When the clay is dry, thread the clear line through the holes you made. Tie knots and fix with hot glue, as is the case with other planets.
5. 5 Place the planets in the model. Place the box on its side and attach the line to the “ceiling”. Each planet must be at a different height (top / bottom) and depth (closer / further) to fit inside the box. The balls should be arranged in this order:
   • The sun;
   • Mercury;
   • Venus;
   • Earth;
   • Mars;
   • Jupiter;
   • Saturn;
   • Uranus;
   • Neptune;
   • Pluto.
6. 6 Hang the planets in the box. Arrange the balls so that they fit inside the box and look good. Mark ten points at which you want to hang the Sun and nine planets. Then cut through the box at these points with a sharp knife and thread through the fishing line to secure each bead. Fix the fishing line on top with reliable tape and cut off the excess ends.
7. 7 Cover the top of the box with black paper. Trace the side of the box over the black paper. Cut out a rectangle and glue the top of the box to hide the tape. Your solar system model is ready.
8. 8 Congratulations! You have made a model of the solar system.

What do you need

• Men's shoe box or large cardboard box
• Black cardboard
• Golden cardboard
• Acrylic paint of various colors
• White felt-tip pen (optional)
• Transparent fishing line
• Hot glue gun
• Bamboo skewers
• Polymer clay
• Big needle
• Foam balls in three different sizes
• Several tall glasses or one foam block
• Duct tape
• Two glasses of different diameters

Tips

• This model does not represent the exact size difference between the planets. It is difficult to do this inside the box, because more than a million Earth planets will fit inside the Sun! It may be easier for you to make planets and the sun from the same material (foam or clay), even if you only have two or three different sizes.