The Orrery Has Landed!

It’s here!

It was several months in the making, but the waiting was worth it. The Orrery has arrived and it is absolutely stunning.

Eugene did an amazing job, and I think he had fun making it because he’s hinting he may make another one, perhaps to sell, so if this sort of thing interests you he can be contacted here.

The bronze gears in the main gear stack looks awesome when it’s in motion. It’s really fun to crank! The motion is incredibly smooth, but a chart for oiling points was included (being a cyclist, oil is always handy so no problem. Besides, it’s not like this thing is going to be cranked non-stop).

I really love the fins on the feet. I hadn’t seen those until it came out of the box. I also like how the muscular aluminum frame contrasts with the hyper-precision of the CNC-machined bronze gears. There is a small shaft to the right of the main shaft which turns at one revolution per moon orbit around the earth. The moon orbits smoothly on extremely tiny 2.5mm diameter ball bearings.

We definitely made the right decision on the cranking ratio...one fortnight instead of one moon orbit. It’s extremely easy to turn and still gives plenty of planetary motion satisfaction.

Sarah Moore, a student in Arkansas, found out about what Eugene’s been doing the past few months and documented it and made a nice little “making of the orrery” video:

So now we have an orrery. Sweet.

Comments

[prufrock]

I think I would sit and quietly turn that crank on cold winter nights, for hour after hour. I am amazed by people who have that kind of craftsmanship and dedication for such a little-known and rarely asked-for item.