Astromedia Build a Copernican Orrery STEM Construction Kit for Age 16+

With this fantastic kit you can demonstrate the orbital movements of Mercury, Venus, and Earth around the Sun, as well as the orbit of the Moon around the Earth.

Traditionally, orreries are made from brass or wood, or a mixture of both. They demonstrate the relative movements of the planets of the solar system and the phases of the moon round the Earth to a very high degree of accuracy through an exact arrangement of gears and ratios.

Unlike other DIY orrery kits, this one is composed of high-quality card with wooden planets and a large LED powered sun. One turn of the crank represents one week and shows the relative movements of the heavenly bodies accurately. 

The 4.5cm illuminated Sun in the centre helps demonstrate the seasons, phases of the Moon, eclipses and much more. This amazing kit creates a fully functional orrery. It demonstrates the movements of Mercury, Venus, Earth and the Moon around the Sun. A fantastic kit that never fails to impress!

Curious Minds Did You Know: Copernicus wasn't actually the first to suggest heliocentrism. Despite Copernicus being the one who introduced the idea to the modern world it had already been discussed by several Islamic and ancient Greek scholars hundreds of years ago.

About the Copernican Orrery:

The mechanical planetariums of modern times are almost all based on the ideas of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543), who assumed the Sun to be the centre of the universe. He taught that the Earth makes three movements: it rotates around itself once in 24 hours, moves in a circular orbit around the Sun in a year, and with a third movement rotates its axis so that it always points in the same direction and not pointing to the Sun. In the early 18th century, the Earl of Orrery and other English nobles commissioned mechanical crank-driven planetary models from watchmakers, which have since come to be known in English as Orreries.

The Copernican Orrery shows the movements of the inner planets Mercury and Venus, as well as the Moon and the Earth. The Earth rotates around its inclined axis, which always points in the same direction. One full turn of the crank on the gears made from rubber belts and grooved wheels corresponds to one week. It causes six different simultaneous movements, which are in approximate proportion to the actual orbital periods.

Many celestial processes can be explained from the Copernican (heliocentric) point of view, e.g. the Sun's movement through the zodiac or the conjunctions of Mercury and Venus with each other and with the Sun. In a darkened room the Sun with its brightly lit LED not only shows the change of seasons, but also the formation of the phases of the Moon, the eclipses, and the crescent phases of Venus.

The kit includes: Axles, magnets, pulley belts, planets, bearings, and an LED light

Height: 29.5 cm
Diameter: 29 cm

Construction time: 30-70 hours (depending on experience)

Suitable for ages 16 and up.