A fascination with the solar system has been evident through the ages. Archeological evidence reveals, for example, that the Ancient Greeks made devices resembling orreries. An orrery is a model used to show the location of bodies in the solar system and how they relate to one another. The earliest models used clock work and gears to drive the bodies, showing their rotational patterns.
In earlier times it was believed that the earth was at the center of the solar system and the sun rotated around it. Copernicus challenged this theory and he was later backed up by other astronomers and mathematicians. Galileo used a telescope to examine the skies. He saw the craters of the moon and found that Jupiter had four moons moving around it. His refusal to accept that the sun moved around the earth lead to him being put under house arrest for years.
However, by the beginning of the 1700s, it was accepted that the earth indeed revolved around the sun. A well known English clockmaker, George Graham, made a the first modern model showing the earth orbiting the sun. A copy of this was given by instrument maker, John Rowley, to his patron Charles Boyle. The model was named after him and before long orreries became very popular, eventually including all the planets known at the time and even some moons.
Today there are even orreries where the movement of planets is represented by humans. There is a permanent one found at the Armagh Observatory, an astronomical research institute in Northern Ireland. An accurate scale model represents the earth, five planets as well as an asteroid and two comets. The orbits are arranged on the ground with the use of stainless steel tiles. People jump from tile to tile with each jump representing a specific time interval.
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.
Today it is possible to access online simulations of orreries. These simulations are often beautiful and it is interesting to watch the different bodies rotating around each other. They are usually very easy to use and can be enjoyed by anybody.
Technologically advanced software 3D applications are available today. They can be used on a number of modern devices. These applications enable enthusiasts to see planets up close, orbit around them and even land on them for further exploration.
Simple orreries can be very helpful as educational tools. More complex ones are difficult to construct and are still being made by artisans today. Digital applications have made orreries more accessible and they are improving technologically all the time. The fascination of humans with the solar system continues unabated and orreries are like to exist and become more elaborate over time, as our knowledge expands.
In earlier times it was believed that the earth was at the center of the solar system and the sun rotated around it. Copernicus challenged this theory and he was later backed up by other astronomers and mathematicians. Galileo used a telescope to examine the skies. He saw the craters of the moon and found that Jupiter had four moons moving around it. His refusal to accept that the sun moved around the earth lead to him being put under house arrest for years.
However, by the beginning of the 1700s, it was accepted that the earth indeed revolved around the sun. A well known English clockmaker, George Graham, made a the first modern model showing the earth orbiting the sun. A copy of this was given by instrument maker, John Rowley, to his patron Charles Boyle. The model was named after him and before long orreries became very popular, eventually including all the planets known at the time and even some moons.
Today there are even orreries where the movement of planets is represented by humans. There is a permanent one found at the Armagh Observatory, an astronomical research institute in Northern Ireland. An accurate scale model represents the earth, five planets as well as an asteroid and two comets. The orbits are arranged on the ground with the use of stainless steel tiles. People jump from tile to tile with each jump representing a specific time interval.
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.
Today it is possible to access online simulations of orreries. These simulations are often beautiful and it is interesting to watch the different bodies rotating around each other. They are usually very easy to use and can be enjoyed by anybody.
Technologically advanced software 3D applications are available today. They can be used on a number of modern devices. These applications enable enthusiasts to see planets up close, orbit around them and even land on them for further exploration.
Simple orreries can be very helpful as educational tools. More complex ones are difficult to construct and are still being made by artisans today. Digital applications have made orreries more accessible and they are improving technologically all the time. The fascination of humans with the solar system continues unabated and orreries are like to exist and become more elaborate over time, as our knowledge expands.
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