World's largest orrery revealed
Posted on 19 Apr 2013. Edited by: John Hunter. Read 2695 times.
Cheshire’s Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre has unveiled its latest exhibit, a mechanical orrery. This moving model of the solar system is just over 16ft in diameter and uses 52 brass gears to make the planets orbit the sun at the right rate in relation to one another. Director Teresa Anderson says that the model, which took two years to make, is the largest in the world.
Built in London by the Science Projects team, it can be driven by a large winding handle, allowing visitors to orchestrate the motion of the planets themselves. “It is completely bespoke and unique to Jodrell Bank. It gives visitors the opportunity to interact with some of the UK’s finest precision engineering and craftsmanship.”