An orrery, also called a planetarium, shows the choreography of planets as they dance with coordinated precision around the Sun. Early models were geocentric (Earth-centered), including the ancient Antikythera device and large mechanical clocks.
This model was made in Paris by the Delamarche family of instrument makers. Charles François Delamarche (1740-1817) was one of the leading orrery makers in Paris. His son Felix Delamarche (d. 1847) continued in the craft after his father’s death.
Orreries are named after Charles Boyle (1676-1731), Earl of Orrery. Heliocentric (Sun-centered) orreries with 6 planets replicate the solar system as it was known before the discovery of Uranus in 1781 by William Herschel. Neptune was discovered by J.G. Galle in Berlin in 1846, after its prediction by Urbain Le Verrier.
How many planets are present in this orrery?
Can you deduce from this information when was it made?
