🌌 Solar System in Scratch: A Galactic Guide for Kids 🌌

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1. Setting Up: 🌠

• Open Scratch: Launch the Scratch website and kick off a new project. (From Local or Online Scratch)
• Backdrop: Opt for a dark, mysterious backdrop like "Starry Night" to set the space mood.

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2. Creating the Sun: ☀️

• Choose a Sprite: Tap on the cat icon (or the 'Choose a Sprite' button) and pick a circle or ball. This will be our sun.
• Upsize: Amplify the sun's grandeur by adjusting its size.
• Position: Move the sun to take its rightful place at the center of our Solar System.
• Rotating:
  • Add block when [Green Flag] clicked from Events tab on the left panel
  • Add block go to x: [0] y: [0] from Motion tab on the left panel and place it below the flag block
  • Attach block forever from control
  • Add block turn [15] degrees within the forever block

Sun Code

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3. Coding the Planets: 🪐

• Choose More Sprites: For every planet you want to create, select a circle or ball sprite.
• Resize & Recolor: Modify each sprite's size to resemble the planets. Use the 'Fill' tool to paint them in their iconic colors (e.g., fiery red for Mars, deep blue for Earth).
• Position: Position each planet sprite around the sun, ensuring they maintain their personal space.

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4. Setting Planets in Motion: 🌍🔄

For each planet:

• Go to Code Tab: Select the planet sprite and click on the 'Code' tab.
• Use the 'Forever' Loop: This magical loop ensures the planet never stops its dance around the sun.
• Rotate: Within the 'Forever' loop, deploy the 'turn' block to set the planet spinning. Tweak the rotation degree to control its speed of rotation.
• Advance: Next, command the planet to march forward in its orbit using the 'move' block.
• Pause: Introduce a 'wait' block to dictate the speed and rhythm of the orbit.

Earth Code

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5. Introducing the Moon (For the Extra Curious!): 🌙

• Sprite & Position: Choose a smaller circular sprite for the moon and position it near a planet.

• Variables: Create MoonTimer, MoonAngle, and MoonRadius variables using the Make a Variable button. Set MoonTimer to 0, MoonAngle to 0, and MoonRadius to the desired distance.

• Orbiting Code:

  • In the 'Code' tab for the moon:
    • Use a 'Forever' loop.
    • Increase MoonTimer (e.g., by 1).
    • Set MoonAngle to MoonTimer x 20.
    • Set Moon x position: (x position) of Earth + (MoonRadius x cos(MoonAngle)).
    • Set Moon y position: (y position) of Earth + (MoonRadius x sin(MoonAngle)).

• Test: Click the green flag to see the moon orbiting its planet.

Moon Code

Formula Zoomed In

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6. Drawing Orbits with the Pen Tool: 🖊️🌌

• Activate the Pen Tool: For each planet sprite, go to the 'Extensions' at the bottom-left and add the 'Pen' extension.

• Setup:

  • When the green flag is clicked, use the pen up block to ensure the pen is not drawing immediately.
  • Set the pen's color to match the planet or choose a light gray.
  • Use the set pen size to block to adjust the thickness of the orbit line. A smaller value like 1 or 2 is recommended.

• Drawing the Orbit:

  • Before the planet starts its movement in the 'Forever' loop, use the pen down block to start drawing.
  • As the planet moves, it will now draw its path, visually representing its orbit.
  • If you want to clear the previous orbits and redraw them, use the clear block from the pen extension at the beginning of your script.

• Test: Click the green flag to see the planets drawing their orbits around the sun.

Planet Code

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8. Meteoric Encounters: Sensing, Bouncing & Looping ☄️

• Choose a Sprite for the Meteor: Choose a suitable sprite, perhaps a small rock or asteroid-like shape, to represent the meteor.

• Initial Position & Movement:

  • Place the meteor at a random position on one edge of the screen.
  • Use the pick random block from the 'Operators' section to set a random starting angle for the meteor's direction (e.g., between 0 and 360 degrees).
  • Use the point in direction block and input the random angle to set its initial direction.
  • In a 'Forever' loop, use the move block to keep the meteor moving.

• Sensing & Bouncing:

  • Inside the 'Forever' loop, add the if... then block from the 'Control' section.
  • From the 'Sensing' section, drag the touching block into the if... then condition.
  • Set the touching block to detect any planet sprite.
  • If the meteor is touching a planet, use the if on edge, bounce block to make the meteor bounce off in a new direction.

• Looping Across the Screen:

  • Still inside the 'Forever' loop, add another if... then condition to check if the meteor is touching the edge using the touching edge? block from the 'Sensing' section.
  • If the meteor touches the edge, reposition it to the opposite edge and set a new random direction using the pick random and point in direction blocks.

• Enhancements (Optional):

  • You can add sound effects for when the meteor touches a planet.
  • Introduce a slight rotation to the meteor for a more dynamic appearance using the turn block.

Meteor Code

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9. Testing & Exploration 🎬

• Click the green flag to see the celestial dance of planets, moons, and meteors around the sun. Adjust and experiment to make the universe truly your own!

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Remember, young explorer: The universe is vast, and so is your imagination. Customize your solar system, introduce new elements, or even animate a spaceship zipping through. The cosmos is your playground. Happy coding and safe space travels! 🌟🚀