Grade Level(s):  3 - 12

Program Length:  45 minutes

Program Description:
Solar System Adventure will take you on a virtual voyage through our local neighborhood - The Solar System. The presentation starts with a guided tour of the current night skies over Southeastern Michigan, featuring what planets are visible from your backyard throughout the night We will visit the nine planets, explore their moons, probe asteroids and comets, while we investigate how earthlings discovered the nature of these celestial objects. This show is a great introduction to your studies of the Solar System or a way to test your students' knowledge after completing their studies!

Program Objectives:
Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Identify the different types of objects in the solar system: including planets, moons, asteroids, interplanetary dust, and comets;
2. Explain the differences between planets, moons, asteroids, and comets;
3. Identify the planets in order from the innermost to the outermost, and identify which planets are currently visible in the evening sky with the naked eye;
4. Understand how the use of robotic missions has increased our knowledge of the Solar System;
5. Understand the spatial relationships between objects in our solar system and other objects in the Universe, and
6. Understand the limits of our knowledge of our and other solar systems.

The Detroit Science Center and the Dassault Systèmes Planetarium are dedicated to assisting all educators in building and utilizing curricula based on the above-mention standards and benchmarks. Each of our shows for school groups keeps you and your students needs in mind. For this show, the Standards & Benchmarks addressed include:

Elementary School:
Cells III.4-1, 2
Matter & Energy IV. 2-1; 3-2, 4-5
Solar System, Galaxy and Universe V. 2-1, 3-1, 4-1,2

Middle School:
Matter & Energy IV. 2-5, 3-2
Solar System, Galaxy & Universe V. 2-1, 4-1,2

High School:
Cells III.4-2
Matter & Energy IV. 1-5, 3-2
Solar System, Galaxy & Universe V. 4-2,3,4,6