Understanding astronomical scale and planetary orbits remains challenging for secondary school students. This work presents an educational activity in which students used real planetary ephemerides obtained from the Virtual Observatory Solar System Object Ephemeris Generator to construct a scaled and co-focal Solar System model in GeoGebra. Students determined orbital parameters, including eccentricity, perihelion, aphelion, and the semi-major and semi-minor axes, and represented planetary orbits while maintaining the Sun at a common focus. Results indicate that the use of authentic astronomical data contributed positively to students’ understanding of planetary motion and orbital geometry.

Biography:

I am a Physics and Mathematics lecturer at the University of Santiago, Chile (USACH). I hold a Master's degree in Physics Education from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) of Mexico and am currently pursuing a PhD in Physics Education at the same institution. I work as a Laboratory Coordinator and lecturer in the Physics and Mathematics Teacher Training Program at USACH. My research interests include astronomy didactics, scientific modeling, virtual observatories, authentic astronomical data, and the development of critical thinking through computational and data-driven approaches to science education.