UNIVERSAL PLANETARIUM
MAKER: RUSSEL-HAWKES
c. 1920
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DESCRIPTION: This is an American tellurian or orrery from the early twentieth century. It is signed on the aluminum arm: 'UNIVERSAL PLANETARIUM, PAT. JAN 7, 1919, RUSSEL-HAWKES CO., KANSAS CITY MO.' The arm has a small compass. The base has a gold lettered calender disk indicating months, seasons, and zodiacal signs. The main support is wood with metal support inside. The Sun is represented by a hollow brass globe. As the base is held with the one hand, the arm can be pushed around the Sun. As this is done th gears cause the Earth and Moon move appopriately, and the inner planet moves as well. The Earth rotates on itd axis, maintains its axis pointing in the northern direction and the Moon revolves around the Earth in its appropriately inclined orbit. The Moon phases are illustrated by a black hood, attached to a gear by a spring, which rotates around the Moon. The instrument therefore illustrates the lunar cycle, the phases of the Moon, the reason for the seasons, and eclipses. The inner planet revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit. The instrument is about 12 inches high. It is about 16 inches long minimum and about 26 inches long maximum.
CONDITION:
This planetarium, globe and all parts are in fine working condition. No gears are stripped. No teeth are missing. Losses to the globe are minimal as seen in the photos. There is some chipping paint loss to the Moon. The Sun has good lacquer mith minor scuffs and losses. This is a rare working example of this machine in unusually good condition. In use its arm should be gently moved, as these machines have a tendency to have their gears break, especially the ones under the Sun, which unlike the other gears, are not made of brass.
HISTORY OF THE TELLURIAN
Planetariums have existed for centuries. A particularly famous one was made about 1704 for Charles Boyle, the 4th Earl of Orrery and hence the machine became known as an 'Orrery'. This name however, is properly applied mainly to planetariums illustrating more than one planet revolving around the Sun. A device that only illustrates the Earth orbiting the Sun, with or without the Moon, is called a 'tellurian' and one that illustrates mainly the movements of the Moon, a 'lunarium'. Nowadays, the term 'lunarium' is usually not associated with the lunar depiction of a tellurian, but rather a more specialized device. The planetarium on this page could be properly called a orrery, but with only one planet in addition to the Earth, would also be a tellurian.
