How to Paint the Solar System on a Ceiling
Measure the ceiling., Examine the available lighting., Decide what level of realism you want., Determine where the planets will be on the ceiling.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Measure the ceiling.
This determines the size of the "canvas" you have to work with.
For a small room, you may not have enough room to paint all the planets on the ceiling.
You can choose to put the outermost planets on the upper walls or limit the painting of the solar system to only the planets visible to the naked eye (Mercury through Saturn).
With Pluto's 2006 demotion to the status of dwarf planet, one option is to paint the recognized eight planets of the solar system on the ceiling and Pluto on the upper wall.
This both represents Pluto's new status and that the angle of its orbit (17 degrees) is greater than that of the regular planets. -
Step 2: Examine the available lighting.
Look at how much natural light enters the room.
This will determine how dark you can make the sky when painting the solar system.
If there isn't enough light in the room to allow a black sky, you can use a dark or medium blue for it instead.
You can also use phosphorescent (glow in the dark) paints for some or all of the planetary features, such as Saturn's rings or Jupiter's Great Red Spot, as well as for representations of planetary satellites, asteroids, or ancillary stars.
If the ceiling has a central light, you can use it for the sun.
If the room's electric lighting comes from another source, such as a wall or table lamp, then you'll want to paint a sun in the center of the ceiling. , You need to have the solar system's planets in the correct order from the sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) and correctly sized from largest to smallest (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury).
Beyond that, you only need to include enough of each planet's distinctive features to make it recognizable as one of the planets in our solar system.
The level of realism you choose should be determined by these factors:
Your budget.
Your painting skills.
Your child's age.
For younger children, lighter colors for the sky and planets are more appropriate, while older children can better handle a black sky. (A decorating option for teenagers would be to use fluorescent paints to paint the planets to represent the false color imaging astronomers use to make certain planetary features more distinct.) , While you need to have the planets in the correct order from the sun, you should arrange their positions so the overall solar system painting will look balanced.
Similar-sized planets (Uranus and Neptune, Earth and Venus) can be placed on opposite sides of the sun, or larger planets can be placed opposite smaller planets.
One way to do this is to take a picture of the ceiling and experiment with various planetary positions.
You can either use cutout circles with a printed picture, or upload the picture into a graphic editing program and use digital images of the planets, each in its own layer.
Move the planets around until you find the layout that looks best to you and your child. -
Step 3: Decide what level of realism you want.
-
Step 4: Determine where the planets will be on the ceiling.
Detailed Guide
This determines the size of the "canvas" you have to work with.
For a small room, you may not have enough room to paint all the planets on the ceiling.
You can choose to put the outermost planets on the upper walls or limit the painting of the solar system to only the planets visible to the naked eye (Mercury through Saturn).
With Pluto's 2006 demotion to the status of dwarf planet, one option is to paint the recognized eight planets of the solar system on the ceiling and Pluto on the upper wall.
This both represents Pluto's new status and that the angle of its orbit (17 degrees) is greater than that of the regular planets.
Look at how much natural light enters the room.
This will determine how dark you can make the sky when painting the solar system.
If there isn't enough light in the room to allow a black sky, you can use a dark or medium blue for it instead.
You can also use phosphorescent (glow in the dark) paints for some or all of the planetary features, such as Saturn's rings or Jupiter's Great Red Spot, as well as for representations of planetary satellites, asteroids, or ancillary stars.
If the ceiling has a central light, you can use it for the sun.
If the room's electric lighting comes from another source, such as a wall or table lamp, then you'll want to paint a sun in the center of the ceiling. , You need to have the solar system's planets in the correct order from the sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) and correctly sized from largest to smallest (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury).
Beyond that, you only need to include enough of each planet's distinctive features to make it recognizable as one of the planets in our solar system.
The level of realism you choose should be determined by these factors:
Your budget.
Your painting skills.
Your child's age.
For younger children, lighter colors for the sky and planets are more appropriate, while older children can better handle a black sky. (A decorating option for teenagers would be to use fluorescent paints to paint the planets to represent the false color imaging astronomers use to make certain planetary features more distinct.) , While you need to have the planets in the correct order from the sun, you should arrange their positions so the overall solar system painting will look balanced.
Similar-sized planets (Uranus and Neptune, Earth and Venus) can be placed on opposite sides of the sun, or larger planets can be placed opposite smaller planets.
One way to do this is to take a picture of the ceiling and experiment with various planetary positions.
You can either use cutout circles with a printed picture, or upload the picture into a graphic editing program and use digital images of the planets, each in its own layer.
Move the planets around until you find the layout that looks best to you and your child.
About the Author
Linda Jimenez
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in lifestyle and beyond.
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