Armillary Sphere

From Object Wiki

Armillary sphere
Manufacturer	Unsigned
Production years	1500-1599

Made in Germany in the 16th century this unsigned brass armillary sphere illustrates the Ptolemaic model of the cosmos. It shows our planet at the centre of the universe with the other planets and Sun rotating around a globe of the Earth. This view of the heavens, originating from the Ancient Greeks, was superseded by the Sun-centred Copernican model during the following century

[edit] How it works

The paths of the planets on this type of model are represented by a series of nested bands, while the more distant stars are shown by the last set of brass rings. The broad outer band, labelled with the zodiacal constellations, marks the path of the Sun throughout the year.

[edit] In the Science Museum's Records

Source: Purchase Inv. No: 1880-47