Orrery

To find the true story of the orrery, this book takes the reader to the vibrant, tumultous London of the 1600s. A mechanical model that shows the movements of the Moon and planets, the orrery takes its name from the Boyle family - the Earls of Orrery. Here is the fascinating story of the origins of this intricate device.

Orreries are found everywhere. They appear in paintings, on the side of royal clocks, in stately home hallways, and of course, in museums all over the world. Scientific instruments to demonstrate the movements of the planets and predict their positions using measuring devices, they were devised largely by clockmakers, but many others played a role too and are given due credit.

The story of the Boyles is not just relevant to a tiny corner of Ireland, but spans history. "Orrery" highlights the process of discovery and humankind's universal fascination with the heavens, providing a fascinating example of the relationship between innovative thinking (invention) and precision engineering (execution). It will appeal to anyone interested in popular astronomy, astronomical mechanical devices, scientific instruments, the history of clocks - and even the history of aristocratic and prestigious families!

Auteur
Dr. Tony Buick is a chemist by profession, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemists. He is the author of the first and second editions of How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with your Digital Camera (Springer, 2011) and has had many astronomy and photography articles published, most recently in the Sky at Night magazine: How to photograph the ISS. In addition he has written for MENSA magazine, the Society for Popular Astronomy and various other magazines and journals. He began his retirement by returning to a lifelong interest in astronomy and has encouraged young and old to observe and understand the sky, especially while teaching science, computing and geography in a local school. Indeed, it was at that school where he showed the children at his science club how to make a human orrery and demonstrated the construction of an orrery from bits and pieces found around the house. This interest took hold and led to the research that forms the foundation of this book. He has a wide range of interests from the infinite through a telescope to the infinitesimal through a microscope and has published articles on tardigrades, robust microscopic animals that can even survive in space.

Résumé

Orrery appeals to almost anyone interested in popular astronomy, astronomical mechanical devices, scientific instruments, the history of clocks - and even the history of aristocratic and prestigious families! Many people these days not only astronomers have a good idea of the main components of the Solar System. They might also know about the orrery, a mechanical model that shows the movements of the Moon and planets. But not too many know why it was so named and who it was named after. The Boyle family the Earls of Orrery include the famous Boyle of Boyle's Law. But others were key in the history of the orrery, not the least being clockmakers. Aware of the lunar and planetary content of the sky, they strove to make scientific instruments to demonstrate their movements and introduced measuring devices to predict their positions. In antiquity, their lives on occasion depended on the accuracy; upsetting kings and lords was dangerous business!

Orreries are found everywhere. They can be made of wood or metal, and are even available today as home-assembly kits and children's toys. They appear in paintings, on computers, on the side of royal clocks, in stately home hallways, and of course, in museums all over the world. This book contains illustrations of orreries to give a guide as to what is and was available and where to see the best examples. It also contains information and references to help readers who want to make (or buy) their own orrery.

The story of the Boyles is not just relevant to a tiny corner of Ireland, but spans the world. Orrery highlights the process of discovery and humankind's universal fascination with the heavens. Provides a fascinating example of the relationship between innovative thinking (invention) and precision engineering (execution).

Contenu
Ancient Forms of Orreries.- Development of Scientific and Astronomical Instruments.- Tompion and Tellurions.- The Age of Clocks and Precision Engineering.- George Graham, the Clockmaker.- John Rowley and the Earl of Orrery.- The Earl of Orrery.- Orreries.- The Legacy.