DIDACTIC PROPOSAL FOR THE TEACHING OF PLANETARY CONFIGURATIONS IN CLASSROOM

Abstract

The study of planetary configurations is elucidative on important aspects of relative movements between stars and on demonstrating the validity of fundamental laws of astronomy. Kepler's Laws dealing with planetary orbits, harmonic ratios, and the relationships between speeds and areas can be tested by studying the relative positions between the lower and upper planets and the Earth. We present a didactic proposal for the teaching of the concepts of lower and upper planetary configurations in the classroom allowing the extraction of data and conclusions about the Solar System. Here we have the basis of the approximations of circular orbits and proportion ratios commonly used in the description of planetary dimensions. An example of the achieved success is the measurement of the elongation angle that presented values that agree with the current data, through simple models it was possible to obtain concrete data with materials that have low cost, allowing the active and significant learning.