actual size 14 cm
Perpetual Lunar Calendar
€36.00
Astronomy, Spectra series
- Parts
- 88
- Build
- 3 hrs 30 min
- Level
- Intermediate
actual width 30 cm
Astronomy, Omega series
Solar Orrery
€76.50
In stock, ships within 2 business days
A mechanical orrery: the Earth and its Moon, then Mars, orbiting the Sun. Each body has its own gear train, calculated to keep the relative periods (27.3 days for the Moon, 365.25 for the Earth, 687 for Mars). As it turns, you see the Earth overtake Mars on the inside. 30 × 30 × 22 cm, 230 parts.
- Parts
- 230
- Build
- 10 hrs
- Level
- Expert
- Footprint
- 30 × 30 × 22 cm
- Weight
- 850 g
- Glue and battery
- None
Expert: a build over several sessions
Order today: shipped by Thursday 12 November at the latest.
Free delivery in France on orders from €99.
- Missing part replaced free
- Ships within 2 business days
- 14-day returns
- Illustrated manual included
Ages 14 and up. Contains small parts.
Solar Orrery in detail
The story
The first modern mechanical planetarium was built in London around 1704 by the clockmakers George Graham and Thomas Tompion. A copy made for Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery, gave its name to the whole family: ever since, machines that set the solar system turning on a table have been called "orreries".
What you'll see move
Turn the crank: the Earth moves along its orbit while the Moon circles it, and Mars, further out, takes its time. You see at a glance why Mars sometimes seems to move backwards in the sky: the faster Earth overtakes it on the inside track.
Specifications
- Number of pieces
- 230 pieces
- Assembly time
- 10 hrs
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Dimensions
- 30 × 30 × 22 cm
- Weight
- 850 g
- Material
- PLA with 30% wood fibre
- Hardware
- Micro-screws and ball bearings included
- Glue required
- None
- Battery required
- None
In the box
- 230 wood-fibre composite parts, ready to assemble
- Micro-screws and ball bearings
- Illustrated step-by-step assembly manual
- No glue and no batteries: everything fits together and turns by hand
14+
Ages 14 and up. Contains small parts: not suitable for children under 3, choking hazard.
From the same family
actual size 20 cm
Desk Sextant
€40.50
Astronomy, Spectra series
- Parts
- 105
- Build
- 4 hrs
- Level
- Intermediate
actual size 22 cm
Earth-Moon Orrery
€46.80
Astronomy, Spectra series
- Parts
- 120
- Build
- 5 hrs
- Level
- Advanced