![]() They had a good run up until the mid-16th century, when on his deathbed Nicolaus Copernicus published De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) and ushered in the heliocentric model of the solar system. Armillaries could be used to calculate sunrise and sunset and the length of a day. Grand orrery-so called because it includes the outer planets-is worth watching because it shows the internal gears and clockwork mechanisms:Īrmillary sphere, which featured a ball representing Earth at its center and stars rotating around it. This 6-minute documentary, about the restoration of a 1758 Around 1713, the English nobleman Charles Boyle (grandnephew of Robert Boyle, a founder of modern chemistry) commissioned such aĭevice for his son. Although the ancient Greeks and Romans had planetarium devices that calculated astronomical positions, it wasn’t until the early 18th century that orreries took their name. These often beautiful and intricate instruments were devised by skilled clockmakers to illustrate how the planets and their moons moved through the solar system. Traditional orreries were mechanical models of the solar system. The fair’s iconic landmark was the Space Needle.Īll in all, it seemed like the ideal place to debut a space-age electric orrery. NASA-themed science exhibit at the Seattle World’s Fair. government committed US $9 million to help build a The United States was at the time approaching “peak space.” The previous year, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first human to reach outer space, and on 12 September 1962 President Kennedy would announce the United States’ intention to put a man on the moon before the decade’s end. Much like the traditional clockwork orreries of centuries past, this unit showed the motions of the planets and other celestial objects, with an overlay that revealed the moons, stars, and a few comets. Included in its many exhibits on modern science and the progressive future was this electric desktop orrery. On 21 April 1962, the Seattle World’s Fair opened to the public. ![]()
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