GETTING TO KNOW SATURN LESSON The Saturn System 1 3 hrs Students learn the concept of a system and apply it to learning about the Saturn sys- tem. They work with a ready-made scale diagram of the Saturn system, including the planet, rings, and moons. MEETS NATIONAL The lesson prepares students to complete a SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS: Venn diagram that compares and contrasts Unifying Concepts the Saturn and Earth–Moon systems in and Processes • Systems, order, terms of the systems’ components and and organization interactions. Composite of Voyager images of Saturn and some of the moons. Earth and Space Science PREREQUISITE SKILLS BACKGROUND INFORMATION • Earth in the Solar System Working in groups Background for Lesson Discussion, page 2 Drawing and interpreting system diagrams Questions, page 7 Measuring in millimeters Answers in Appendix 1, page 225 Computation (multiplication and division) 1–21: Saturn Completing a Venn diagram 22–34: Rings 35–50: Moons 51–55: Observing Saturn in the Sky EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS, AND TOOLS For the teacher Materials to reproduce Photocopier (for transparencies & copies) Figures 1–8 are provided at the end of Overhead projector this lesson. Chalkboard, whiteboard, or easel with FIGURE TRANSPARENCY COPIES paper; chalk or markers 1 1 1 per group Color image or video of Saturn (optional) 2 1 optional Basketball (optional) 3 1 per group For each group of 3 to 4 students 4 1 per group Chart paper (18" x 22"); color markers 5 1 per group Notebook paper; pencils; clear adhesive 6 1 per group tape; scissors; ruler with millimeter 7 optional divisions 8 1 per student Meter stick (optional) 1 Saturn Educator Guide • Cassini Program website — http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/educatorguide • EG-1999-12-008-JPL Background for Lesson Discussion LESSON • Moon–moon interactions include Epimetheus 1 Comparing the Saturn system to Earth’s system and Janus swapping orbits. (See Procedures & Activities, Part II, Step 3) • Moon–planet interactions include tidal forces • The Saturn system is farther from the Sun. between the moons and the planet. • The planet in the Saturn system is bigger. (Note: This can be discussed further if students • Saturn is a different color (butterscotch have learned something previously about tidal yellow). forces between Earth and the Moon. See the • Saturn is made mostly of gas instead of rock. Glossary.) • The Saturn system has rings. • The Saturn system has more than one moon. Examples of inputs and outputs in the • The Saturn and Earth systems are both Saturn system subsystems of the Solar System. (See Procedures & Activities, Part II, Step 10) • Both systems receive and reflect sunlight. • Both systems have at least one moon. Sunlight is both an input to and an output of • In both systems, gravity acts to keep the the Saturn system. As an input, the Sun heats moon(s) orbiting around the planet. the system, but because Saturn is so far away • In both systems, there are tidal forces between from the Sun, it is very cold compared with the planet and moon(s). Earth. As an output, reflected sunlight is seen when we observe Saturn and its rings and moons. In the same way, we see the reflected Examples of interactions in the Saturn light of the Moon from Earth. system (See Procedures & Activities, Part II, Step 10) It is possible that Saturn’s gravity captures aster- The basic parts of the Saturn system are the oids, comets, and meteorites from time to time. planet, rings, and moons. The relationships and These events are considered inputs to the sys- interactions among them are defined predomi- tem. The moon farthest from Saturn (Phoebe) nantly by gravity. The moons and ring particles may be a captured asteroid. Comets that passed of the Saturn system orbit Saturn just like the near Saturn may have collided with and broken planets and asteroids of the Solar System orbit up a moon, and played a role in the formation the Sun. Fundamental properties of a system of Saturn’s rings. arise from the interaction of its parts, not from the properties of the individual parts. Radio waves are another output of the Saturn system. The mechanisms behind some of • Moon–ring interaction include: Saturn’s emission of “light” in the radio-wave — Prometheus and Pandora “shepherding” portion of the electromagnetic spectrum are the F ring unknown. — Pan “clearing” the Encke Gap at the outer edge of the A ring — Enceladus possibly having ice geyers that create the E ring 2 Saturn Educator Guide • Cassini Program website — http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/educatorguide • EG-1999-12-008-JPL Lesson Plan LESSON Have the students select and diagram on 1 Part I: What Is a System? 3 notebook paper a system other than the Tell the students that diagrams are simple Solar System. 1 drawings that can show the basic organiza- Have students form groups with those who tion of a system. Demonstrate how to make 4 diagrams by drawing the Solar System, includ- have drawn different system diagrams. ing the Sun and planets with their labels, and Limit group size to four students. the planets’ orbital paths. For completion, title Give each group a sheet of chart paper, and the diagram (of course, it is not to scale). 5 have them attach their diagrams around the outside edge. Have the students record, in the JUPITER URANUS EARTH MERCURY SUN NEPTUNE MARS SATURN VENUS PLUTO The Solar System (not to scale). Ask students this question: How have you center of the paper, all the similarities they can 2 heard the word “system” used? List their find in their system diagrams. Guide students to responses on the chalkboard. Possible student consider questions such as — What do all the responses include: Solar System, school system, diagrams have in common? (For example: titles, computer system, stereo system, digestive sys- labels, or objects.) What do all the systems have tem, and so on. in common? (For example: parts, interconnec- tions and interactions among parts, boundaries, inputs, outputs, organizing principles, or According to the National Science Education Standards, forces.) a system is an organized group of related objects or components that form a whole. For example, systems can Have each group share their diagrams with 6 consist of organisms, machines, fundamental particles, the whole class. Discuss with students their galaxies, ideas, numbers, transportation, and education. understanding of systems. Guide them to recog- nize the various aspects of a system and the per- Systems have boundaries, components, flow (input and vasive nature of “systems” in our world, in the output), and interactions. Solar System, and in the Universe. 3 Saturn Educator Guide • Cassini Program website — http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/educatorguide • EG-1999-12-008-JPL Display the Saturn Ring System (Figure 2) Part II: Making Connections to Saturn 4 LESSON transparency. Discuss students’ observations 1 Have the students focus on the planet Sat- of the ring illustration. For example: How many 1 urn in the Solar System diagram you drew rings are there? Do the rings appear in alphabeti- for them. Note that Saturn is the sixth planet cal order from Saturn outward? How wide are from the Sun and that it has rings (as do all the rings relative to the planet and to the Earth– of the giant planets in the outer Solar System Moon system? which are composed primarily of gases). Re- Explain that the next part of the lesson will mind them that the Solar System diagram is 5 not to scale, that Saturn is really much larger involve looking at a close-up of a smaller than Earth, and that Saturn is approximately section of the rings, and show students the four 10 times farther from the Sun than is Earth. pages of the Saturn System Diagram (Figure 4). Inform the students that NASA has a spacecraft Detailed instructions for assembling the diagram called Cassini that will study Saturn (it was are shown in Figure 3. Tell students that the launched in 1997 and will arrive at Saturn in scaled Saturn on the diagram is about the size of 2004). a basketball. Show them how to tape together the Saturn System Diagram: Display the transparency of the Voyager 2 • Line up the center lines of each section Image of Saturn (Figure 1) to introduce the (labeled A, B,C, and D). look of Saturn and its rings. Tell students that • Use the arc of the G ring to estimate the Saturn is a large ball of gas and does not have a connection between Sections A and B. solid surface like Earth’s. Ask students to guess • Tape A and B together. what size Earth would be if placed next to Sat- • Line up C and D to B and tape together. urn in this image (they will work out the answer during a later activity). Note: Older or more advanced students can achieve a more Note: If you have a color image or video of Saturn, it can be accurate depiction of scaled distances to the moons outside used to further motivate students’ interest in Saturn. If you the A ring by following the directions in How to Assemble the have access to the World Wide Web, the Cassini website is an Saturn System Diagram. (For lower grade levels, this degree of excellent source of Saturn images (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ care in assembly is likely to take too much time away from the cassini/). There are also other exceptional websites — please main concept of the lesson.) see Appendix 5, Resources. Put students in an even number of small 6 Ask students to consider how Saturn’s sys- groups of 3 or 4.