The movement of planets around the sun and the moons movement around our earth are depicted by models collectively called orreries. If you wish to buy such an item, there are many things to take into consideration. So when you find an orrery for sale it is worth making comparisons to establish its true worth.
Depending on the condition, what it is made of and the smoothness of the movement you may find that values vary quite a lot, but this is only half the story. Size and the amount of detail will also make a difference. There are also many versions of orreries and they begin with just the sun the earth and its moon, becoming more detailed and can include any number of other moons and planets.
Built originally as a scientific piece, these amazing items can clearly show the movement of each planet and moon. It is worth remembering that at the time some older ones were built, not all the moons or even planets we know of now, were recognized or known.
Planetarium is an old name for an Orrery but is now used more widely to describe the large rooms where images of the night sky are projected onto domed ceilings. There are different names for designs that cover different planet formations. This means it may be worth discovering, to which category the particular version that appeals to you belongs.
The idea is that the mechanism shows the movement of moons around planets and planets around the sun. They also includes the spin of each planet and moon and the tilt of each on their axis. This makes them very complex and building them takes a lot of skill.
Quite often these are driven by clockwork and gears move the planets and moons accordingly. The movement shows the distances between planets at different times in the cycle as they get closer or further away from each other, and as the whole movement unfolds many interesting things can be noted such as solar and lunar eclipses.
To create a full model of the planets and all their attending moons that we are now aware of would be a major feat, especially when you consider that Saturn and Jupiter both have more than 60 moons apiece. It is understandable then that only certain parts are depicted on most orreries and they vary widely. It is also true that they are not built to scale as the vast variance in sizes of planets and moons and the distances between make that almost impossible. The orbits are also not totally accurate, as the gearing represents full cycles when orbits are very rarely that accurate.
So now when you see an orrery for sale, you will be much more aware of what you are looking at and the limits of these scientific and amazing items. You can identify what really interests you and be sure that you spend your money on the right thing. Maybe deciding that something small made of a more valuable material like silver fits your home better, unless you want something larger to fit a bigger space.
Depending on the condition, what it is made of and the smoothness of the movement you may find that values vary quite a lot, but this is only half the story. Size and the amount of detail will also make a difference. There are also many versions of orreries and they begin with just the sun the earth and its moon, becoming more detailed and can include any number of other moons and planets.
Built originally as a scientific piece, these amazing items can clearly show the movement of each planet and moon. It is worth remembering that at the time some older ones were built, not all the moons or even planets we know of now, were recognized or known.
Planetarium is an old name for an Orrery but is now used more widely to describe the large rooms where images of the night sky are projected onto domed ceilings. There are different names for designs that cover different planet formations. This means it may be worth discovering, to which category the particular version that appeals to you belongs.
The idea is that the mechanism shows the movement of moons around planets and planets around the sun. They also includes the spin of each planet and moon and the tilt of each on their axis. This makes them very complex and building them takes a lot of skill.
Quite often these are driven by clockwork and gears move the planets and moons accordingly. The movement shows the distances between planets at different times in the cycle as they get closer or further away from each other, and as the whole movement unfolds many interesting things can be noted such as solar and lunar eclipses.
To create a full model of the planets and all their attending moons that we are now aware of would be a major feat, especially when you consider that Saturn and Jupiter both have more than 60 moons apiece. It is understandable then that only certain parts are depicted on most orreries and they vary widely. It is also true that they are not built to scale as the vast variance in sizes of planets and moons and the distances between make that almost impossible. The orbits are also not totally accurate, as the gearing represents full cycles when orbits are very rarely that accurate.
So now when you see an orrery for sale, you will be much more aware of what you are looking at and the limits of these scientific and amazing items. You can identify what really interests you and be sure that you spend your money on the right thing. Maybe deciding that something small made of a more valuable material like silver fits your home better, unless you want something larger to fit a bigger space.
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