Orrery

Description

Vertical orrery made for Professor John Robison, University of Edinburgh, by John Miller, Edinburgh, c. 1780

Museum reference

T.1999.347

Collection

History of Science

Object name

Orrery

Production information

Miller, John, 1746 - 1815, Instrument maker
Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, Northern Europe

Date

c. 1780

Materials

Wood, Wood, Brass, Brass, Brass

Physical description

Dark varnished wooden base with three legs and wooden stem; at the top a blue face with gold coloured sunburst in the middle; edge marked out in scales; planetary models take the form of small cream coloured spheres attached to metal poles

Associations

Previous owner: Robison, John, Professor, 1739 - 1805

Exhibitions

• Earth in Space (29 Jul 2011)
  National Museum of Scotland

References

T.N. Clarke, A.D. Morrison-Low and A.C.D. Simpson, Brass and Glass, 1989, p. 30, 55

On display

national museum of scotland »
level 1 »
natural world, earth in space »
space (early telescopes)