Accession No

5976

Brief Description

portable orrery, by Newton and Company, English, 1851

Origin

England; London; 3 Fleet Street

Maker

Newton and Company

Class

astronomy; demonstration

Earliest Date

1851

Latest Date

1851

Inscription Date

Material

wood; paper; plaster; metal (brass, gold, silver); ivory

Dimensions

height 300mm; diam of dial 340mm; length (to Neptune) 700mm box: height 340mm; breadth 485mm; depth 470mm

Special Collection

Provenance

On loan from King’s College, University of Cambridge from 04/09/2003

Inscription

on brass: ‘NEWTON & Co
Opticians to the Queen
3 Fleet ST , London’

on paper dial: ‘NEWTON & Co , 3 FLEET STREET, LONDON’
on paper gore: ‘NEWTON & SONS, New Terrestrial Globe’

Description Notes

portable orrery by Newton & Co., 1851.

circular wooden base with 3 turned feet;
paper dial printed and hand coloured with 32 compass points; degree scale divided 0 - 90o - 0 - 90o -0; names of the zodiac and a star plate and calendar to single days.
gilt plaster Sun on central shaft; upper geared mechanism operating the lunarium;
planets Mercury, Venus and Mars to Neptune on individual arms from central shaft; gearing mechanism with turning handle below wooden dial base.
Ivory planets: Mercury; Venus; Mars (2 moons); Jupiter (5 moons);
Saturn (8 moons); Uranus (4 moons); Neptune (2 moons).
Earth: plaster with printed paper gores, brass umbra, silvered dial showing phases of the moon with calendar

Box: oak wood with brass fittings, green felt lining
Binder with type written ‘Description and Explanation of an Orrery in King’s College’
Notes; 3 pages type written + diagram ‘Short Description of Orrery’

References

Events