People have always been interested in the solar system and even the Ancient Greeks constructed devices something like orreries. An orrery was a mechanical model that at first consisted of just the sun and the earth. Planets and then moons were added as they were discovered. It was driven by clockwork, showing not only the relative positions of these bodies but their orbits too.
Copernicus was the first astronomer to come forward with the theory that the earth moved around the sun, contrary to the belief at the time. This theory was also supported by Galileo, one of the first astronomers to look up at the skies through his telescope. He saw craters on the moon and four moons orbiting around the planet Jupiter. He was put under house arrest for some years for refusing to discount the sun-centered theory.
By the 1700s the theory of a sun-centered solar system had been accepted as the truth. The first modern model with the earth-moon system orbiting the sun was designed by a clockmaker called George Graham only 300 years ago. John Rowley, an instrument maker gave a copy of this model to his patron, Charles Boyle. It was not long before orreries became popular and they were elaborated to include all known planets and some moons as well.
The Armagh Observatory is an astronomical research institute that has an interactive project. It allows humans to play the part of moving planets. The scale is accurate and the earth, five planets, two comets and an asteroid are represented. Stainless steel tiles are placed on the ground to represent the orbits and humans jump from one tile to another.
It is obviously impractical to make orreries to scale. Instead rotation rates are made proportional to actual rates by simplifying calculations with logarithms. The most simple forms of orreries are often used in classrooms by teachers. More complex ones are difficult to construct, particularly where moons are included that orbit around the planets as they orbit around the sun.
Many online simulations of orreries are available today. One of these is the electric one at the University of St Andrews. It shows the inner and outer solar systems separately and is easy to use. These orreries are a pleasure to watch as the different bodies whir about all over.
There are also 3D applications available today. They are very realistic and enable one to orbit around and even land on planets for further exploration. These can be used on many modern devices and the user interface is very effective. Amateur astronomers and even casual enthusiasts using these applications can be entertained and educated at the same time.
Any teacher wanting to explain more about the solar system to students will find this kind of application invaluable and the cost is not prohibitive. Despite the digital applications today, there are a handful of artisans that continue to make traditional orreries in their workshops. High qualities ones can fetch good prices due to the demanding construction techniques involved.
Copernicus was the first astronomer to come forward with the theory that the earth moved around the sun, contrary to the belief at the time. This theory was also supported by Galileo, one of the first astronomers to look up at the skies through his telescope. He saw craters on the moon and four moons orbiting around the planet Jupiter. He was put under house arrest for some years for refusing to discount the sun-centered theory.
By the 1700s the theory of a sun-centered solar system had been accepted as the truth. The first modern model with the earth-moon system orbiting the sun was designed by a clockmaker called George Graham only 300 years ago. John Rowley, an instrument maker gave a copy of this model to his patron, Charles Boyle. It was not long before orreries became popular and they were elaborated to include all known planets and some moons as well.
The Armagh Observatory is an astronomical research institute that has an interactive project. It allows humans to play the part of moving planets. The scale is accurate and the earth, five planets, two comets and an asteroid are represented. Stainless steel tiles are placed on the ground to represent the orbits and humans jump from one tile to another.
It is obviously impractical to make orreries to scale. Instead rotation rates are made proportional to actual rates by simplifying calculations with logarithms. The most simple forms of orreries are often used in classrooms by teachers. More complex ones are difficult to construct, particularly where moons are included that orbit around the planets as they orbit around the sun.
Many online simulations of orreries are available today. One of these is the electric one at the University of St Andrews. It shows the inner and outer solar systems separately and is easy to use. These orreries are a pleasure to watch as the different bodies whir about all over.
There are also 3D applications available today. They are very realistic and enable one to orbit around and even land on planets for further exploration. These can be used on many modern devices and the user interface is very effective. Amateur astronomers and even casual enthusiasts using these applications can be entertained and educated at the same time.
Any teacher wanting to explain more about the solar system to students will find this kind of application invaluable and the cost is not prohibitive. Despite the digital applications today, there are a handful of artisans that continue to make traditional orreries in their workshops. High qualities ones can fetch good prices due to the demanding construction techniques involved.
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